


Outside Prompts

by Judayre



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Love, Multi, Paranoia, Strange bits, not otherwise incorporated, tags in chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-19 01:26:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 57
Words: 22,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2369321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judayre/pseuds/Judayre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes I ask for prompts and the ones I get don't fit into any of the stories I already have.  I will put them here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> I am always open to prompts. As if I didn't have enough of my own things to write... But sometimes it helps to be writing for someone specifically.
> 
> This chapter is for Sparkle who asked for Dwalin helping Nori relax after returning from spymaster things. It isn't quite what I had in mind, but I like it.

The first day back was always the worst. Dwalin knew that it was important that Nori travel. It was the only way he could properly know what was going on outside the kingdom. He had spies - he wouldn't be the spymaster without spies - but there was frequently something he needed to see to himself.

And while he was on the road, he was in danger. He had to be unrecognized. He had to be thought just another thief, or just another nobleman. And he always had to be on guard. If he met someone he knew, his cover was blown and he could be arrested or used as a political pawn, or killed. When Nori went out, paranoia was something that saved his life.

When Nori was away, he did everything for himself. He never went out in company - never wanted another out in danger with him, never wanted the responsibility for another life that he might not be able to protect. Never wanted the possibility of betrayal. Nori cooked his own food, made his own fires, kept himself warm. He did his own mending, his own hunting. He did everything.

It took him a few days to shake his road persona. He would be home in Erebor, in Dwalin's home, in his bed, and still tense up at the lightest tough. He would root through the pantry and then go out and steal food from the farms of Dale because he couldn't trust anything he hadn't taken for himself. (Dwalin had a deal set up with most of the farms near the mountain that if Nori took too much they could come to Dwalin for payment, but they _mustn't confront Nori_.)

After a few days, he would look at Dwalin and not see danger. And that was when Dwalin would step closer and put his arms around his Nori. Gently, slowly, he would pull Nori close and kiss him. He saved his best kisses for that first real greeting; searching, warm, long kisses he could drown in, the best way he had to remind Nori that he was home and safe. Deep, passionate, focused, he would make the world fade from around them until the only thing he knew was Nori and the only thing Nori knew was him.

And Nori would reach for him and hold him as well. And he would relax into the kiss, pouring all of himself into it, desperate to be reminded of who he really was. And Dwalin would hold him close, hold him safe and gentle, and remind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first time Nori went out, Dwalin greeted him enthusiastically as soon as he came home. We'll say that subconscious recognition was why he was stabbed in the shoulder and not the guts.


	2. Nori cheats at school

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> three sentence prompt was for a high school AU.

The teacher always left the answer key locked in huge same cabinet, assured of its safety since he changed the code every week. It had taken Nori forever to figure out where he wrote the code down, and getting to it required an accomplice - something he'd never needed before. Dwalin had been a good idea, enough of a "good boy" to work as a distraction _every week_ while Nori got the code, and enough of a bad boy to give him proper rewards for his efforts.


	3. Exploring Erebor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kíli pulls Ori away from the treasure and the dragon sickness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from Tagath for Ori/Kíli sweetness.

Kíli found Ori in the same place he found everyone the last few days. They were all in the treasury from dawn to past dark, as if the gold gave light they could see by. Even his Ori, who had always said he had more love for ink than gold, was hard to tear away. And that stung, because what they had was new and precious, and Kíli didn't like to think he was less important than gold.

But all this focus on the treasury meant that they were missing the great wonders of Erebor, and Kíli could think of no one he wanted to share his findings with other than Ori.

He tugged the older youth to his feet, keeping up a steady flow of excited babble until he saw the dark eyes focus on him. And then he couldn't help the smile that blazed forth. Ori colored, as he always did, and gave a small smile in return as he always did. But now that they had shared kisses, he didn't drop his eyes away, and left his hand secure in Kíli's.

Kíli leaned forward to kiss him, still taken with the fact that he was allowed to. Mere than allowed, really, because Ori swayed forward into it, kissing back with no sign of his usual shyness.

"You have to come see," Kíli said, tugging Ori's hands and leading him out of the treasury before he could see the gold and lose himself to it again.

"See what?" Ori asked, eyes not leaving Kíli.

"That would ruin the surprise," Kíli answered, unable to help the light flush that crossed his cheeks because of Ori's regard. He had always thought it was just because he was Thorin's nephew, but Ori looked at him more and more as they were on the journey. And it was very obvious it wasn't about his uncle now.

Ori laughed at him. He often laughed at him, but Kíli had never minded. Ori didn't laugh in a mean way, just as if he thought what Kíli said was silly and sweet. And Kíli loved the sound of his laugh.

"It's this way," he said, tugging in Ori's hand and not letting it go. And as they walked through the shadowed, ruined city, he pointed out the things he'd found while exploring. There were the ways the homes and stores had been carved - the doors and windows black holes now, but still framed with carved majesty. There were designs on the walls, ones that he had picked apart for hours to find the ends of. There were sometimes faces hidden in the designs, or words. He'd read old blessings and stories. And there was graffiti as well, and they both laughed to see familiar family names, boasts, and insults.

Finally, they left the city behind and entered rougher caverns that the dragon hadn't been through. Kíli made sure Ori's hand was still firmly in his own so the other wouldn't get lost. But even here hadn't been missed by the Dwarves of yore. He pointed out formations that had been excavated to best show. And there were crystals that hadn't been removed from the stone.

They followed a line of them, crystals increasing in size as they walked hand in hand down the corridor. They were some pale color that couldn't be made out in the gloom, but Kíli was sure that if there were torches in the sconces it would be stunning. Ori kept looking around with the look in his eye that said he was seeing things that weren't precisely there, and Kíli was sure he agreed.

And then he finally lit the torch he'd brought and led the way the final steps into the crystal cavern. He had been there before, so he turned to watch Ori see it the first time. He wasn't disappointed, as Ori's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in wonder. He turned, taking in the way the firelight sparked off the crystals, the way they'd been trained into arches and swirls.

Ori turned back after a long moment, reaching up to pull Kíli down into a kiss. He responded enthusiastically, hands lingering at Ori's waist.

"I need to draw this," Ori said, already pulling away and reaching for his notebook and pens.

Kíli smiled and took a bottle of ink out of his pocket. He put himself at Ori's back, holding him close and watching as his talented fingers sketched out patterns in the crystals he hadn't even noticed. He nuzzled into Ori's hair, arms tightening when the other youth leaned back into him.

They spent hours there. Ori kept going back to his drawing, but he stopped frequently for kisses and cuddling. And Kíli held him the entire time, feeling easier in his mind the longer they spent away from the treasury without Ori mentioning it. Just the spot with the two of them was enough for him.


	4. Halloween prompt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin finds a shapeshifter at a magicians conference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt was both of them supernatural beings. I have an original story with a world build I'm quite pleased with, so they've been transplanted there. Werewolves are very wolf in this one, and generally looked down on by others. Shape shifters are very distrusted because you really can never tell who they are.

Nwalin - both are supernatural creatures

Dwalin's eyes darted around as he picked up the scent of something out of place. There were only supposed to be humans here, but there was a wrong smell. It was something no one else would pick up and the reason Dwalin had been hired as the rich man's bodyguard. Human's were always willing to find a use for a werewolf, even while they continued to say their lives weren't worth anything. Dwalin was making a fraction of what a comparably experienced human would make, even though it was his nose that had gotten him the job.

Everyone looked right, but who would invade a conference of magicians obviously? One eye on his client, Dwalin drifted around the perimeter of the meeting hall. Every now and then one of the men and women would turn and sneer at him, and he bared his teeth in a silent snarl that made them shiver. It made him sneer back at them. For all they professed superiority, a room full of magicians was. Still afraid of a lone werewolf.

It was the one sign of sense in the lot of them. Dwalin was a threat. He prided himself on it. He was grizzled and scarred from fights, carrying more weaponry than most werewolves would ever deign to touch. Teeth and claws were one thing - and very good - but when fighting something that went on two feet, reach was essential. He carried battle axes openly, edges gleaming and always sharp due to the power of the smith who made them. He also had knives in both boots and a concealed gun. Whatever power these humans had, he would be able to take down a lot of them before they were able to put him down.

The scent was closer here, and Dwalin focused all his attention on finding the source of it. Someone sneaking into a conference like this couldn't be doing it for any good reason. It looked like a man, on the small side, with long reddish brown hair. He was dressed well and was interacting with the magicians like he belonged there. Of course he was - anything else would be giving himself away. He caught sight of Dwalin and his smile froze on his lips.

Dwalin was one of the more obvious non-humans he'd encountered. His eyes seemed to do it - a focus that humans never truly had in eyes a steel blue-grey that reflected the light wrong for a human. The stranger's gaze jumped to other things that were tells to a knowledgeable person, meaning whatever he was he was smarter than most humans Dwalin had met - not that that was hard.

Mindful of his job and what would happen to his pay if he created a panic, Dwalin whispered a single word in a language the humans wouldn't understand. It was an old code, older than the uneasy alliance of human magicians and hidden non-humans. It meant safety, and also territory. Dwalin would not reveal the man if he left the space Dwalin had claimed.

He left, brushing past Dwalin in a show of bravado that was more for the humans he was leaving behind than for Dwalin. Dwalin turned to watch him go, catching scents other than his own on the retreating man. Thief, he thought with scorn, and hoped the man knew enough to avoid stealing dangerous things.

Suddenly he was caught in eyes, greener than green and ringed in gold. The other was smirking at him, and Dwalin realized he'd been staring. While he was watching, sure he was the only witness, the man changed shape to a medium sized dog, more wolf to its appearance than the color would imply. The dog wended its way through the crowd until it was lost to Dwalin's sight and even to his more sensitive nose.

Dwalin shook himself and turned back to the task at hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The magicians have decided to summon something at midnight on Halloween. Dwalin will be paid and kicked out before they go to do it. Which they will have a lot of trouble doing, because of what Nori stole. Meanwhile, Nori will find Dwalin after a few days and hook up with him.


	5. secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori and Dwalin both have reasons to keep their relationship secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Prompt thing](http://judayre.tumblr.com/post/102810307495/avelera-resident-longwinded-anon-its-fairly). You can give me prompts.
> 
> Sparkle prompted Nwalin, superheroes, secret relationship.

Not even Dori knew. It wasn't safe. Dori would decide Dwalin was a distraction and remove him before the enemy even found out about him. But even if he didn't, Nori couldn't risk the enemy finding out about him. Not Dwalin.

Nori could phase through anything, get into any room, find any hidden object. Nothing was safe from him because he was as impossible to trap as the wind he named himself after when he was disguised. He found secrets, he took treasures. It was what he did. And then Dori and Ori used them. That was their part.

Nori was impermanent. He could be there one moment and gone the next. But Dwalin made him feel solid. He lay on top of his lover, arms crossed on his broad chest. He rested his chin on his hands and smiled at the brown, weathered face. And Dwalin's hands - hands that were so strong - touched his face so gently that Nori had to close his eyes so he didn't cry.

Dwalin knew where he was. Dwalin never spoke without looking up, never smiled indistinctly. Never gestured vaguely. Even Ori did that sometimes, so used to the idea that Nori could be anywhere that he never really looked for him. But Dwalin always did. Dwalin touched him, and it made him feel real.

~~~

Balin probably suspected. It was what he did, after all. He found things out, and then he told the rest of them. And when Dwalin got the call he took his axe and let his carefully banked rage fill him until he burst into flames and went mad with it.

So Balin had to know. But he had chosen not to speak of it, which meant he didn't see a danger, or he knew the danger he'd be in if he tried to stop it.

Because Dwalin wouldn't give up Nori. Not even knowing it would put the other man in danger if anyone else found out. Their enemies were ruthless and if there was any way to trace Dwalin to Nori then his lover would be in danger. The idea of it battered at his tightly held control and Dwalin felt his breath quicken and his body start to heat.

But Nori - he always seemed so cool in comparison to Dwalin's fire - just lay on top of him, their naked bodies pressed together. Smiling. He turned into touches that were as tender as Dwalin's rough, warrior hands could make. And he showed no fear.

Even Balin feared him. The rest of his team, his family, his brother - those he was closest to looked at him as though his control were nothing. His cousins tip toed around him for fear of angering him, though he had never turned to them in anger.

But Nori nuzzled in and kissed his wrist. Nori came to him fearlessly, and Dwalin silently vowed that he would never give Nori a reason to fear him. And then he was drowning in golden hazel eyes, luminous and bright. Eyes that looked at him only as something wonderful.


	6. My Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo is asked a question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for BotFA.
> 
> Might go with:  
> [Thorin and Bilbo discuss how they got their children](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1596323/chapters/3521936)  
> [Bilbo plants a child in his garden](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1024357/chapters/4710063)  
> [Bilbo and Thorin are happy with their children near](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1024357/chapters/4768665)  
> [Kíli watches Thorin carve](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2359988/chapters/6000878)  
> [Bilbo says farewell](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1024357/chapters/6170159)
> 
> But maybe not.

Bilbo opened his round, green door, still glancing around at all the people and at all of his things piled around the outside of the home. He had been presumed dead, and part of him wanted to laugh at the irony while another part wanted to howl at it. Thirteen months and he had been declared dead while Thorin had been searching for his father for almost a hundred years.

And then he heard his name.

"But Master Baggins, who was this man you were employed by? Thorin Oakenshield?"

And he stopped, because how could he answer that? Who was Thorin Oakenshield? He was the king of the last great Dwarf kingdom. He was the hero who slew Azog the Defiler. He was a loving, if hard to please, uncle.

He was a man deeply troubled by the sorrow of his people. He was a man who had taken all of that suffering into his own heart. He was a man who wanted the best for his people and was scarred by the neglect of his allies.

He had been insulting and suspicious.

He had be loyal and trusting.

He had been everything.

"He was my friend," Bilbo said, and then entered the ruins of his home before he broke down and cried in front of half the Shire.


	7. You Did What?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin is Kíli's confidante of choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another [writing meme](http://judayre.tumblr.com/post/115030164815/send-me-a-pairing-and-a-number-and-ill-write-you). Dwalin and Kíli, 43.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Dwalin roared.

" _Don't_ tell Fíli," Kíli answered, voice low but almost panicked.

"Kíli...."

"And don't tell mother!"

" _Kíli_."

"Or Uncle Thorin!" Horror was written across Kíli's face.

"Kíli." Dwalin waited until he was certain he had the young Dwarf's attention. "How old are you?"

"Almost seventy!"

"Sixty-three is not almost seventy." Kíli's head hung and Dwalin continued. "And how old is Ori?"

Kíli didn't make the same mistake twice. "Seventy-five."

"And how were you thinking of hiding a baby?"

"I thought you might help?" Under Dwalin's flat glare, Kíli wilted. "Then what do we do?"

"Throw yourself on Dori's mercy, first," Dwalin answered. "After that, he'll take care of everything."

"Can't you--"

" _I_ am not willing to risk Dori's wrath. Not to mention that your uncle is my best friend and my _King_. You have one month to decide what to do, and then I will take that choice away from you."

"Yes, Mister Dwalin," Kíli mumbled contritely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can decide which of them is bearing. I have no clue.


	8. ...And I'm Terrified

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori makes a confession.

Nori had rarely had access to a bed so warm and comfortable as the one he was now in, and he tried to convince himself that was the reason he was staying in it. He was not a cuddler (except with family - and Dori had stopped allowing it years ago), but strong arms held him close. He could have wriggled away - knew for certain that he would be allowed to leave as soon as he said anything - but it was easier to stay there with the excuse. Dwalin's breath blew warm against his throat, and Nori tried to convince himself to leave before he got in too deep.

"What are you thinking about?" Dwalin asked softly, hands caressing.

"I think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified," Nori answered without thought.

Dwalin froze, and it took Nori's brain a moment to catch up with his mouth. He swore and tried to throw himself out of the bed, but for once Dwalin held him tightly.

"Nori," he said, and there was something like wonder in his voice.

Nori thrashed, trying to get free and run. Dwalin's arms were gentle but unbreakable, and Nori quickly tired himself by struggling too hard in his terror. 

Dwalin reached out and cradled Nori's cheek in one large hand, turning him so they could look at each other. And Nori's brain tried to prompt that _now._ Now he could get away. But the look he could see in Dwalin's eyes....

Although he only saw it for a moment before tears blurred his own.

And then Dwalin's mouth was on his own, and he closed his eyes because he didn't need to see to understand.


	9. Fairy Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a child is found in the woods who changes the future of four young men.

Once upon a time there were two brothers. Life had not been kind to them, though they were young, and they had been left orphaned with little to their names. They lived in a shack near the edge of the woods where no one wanted to go, and they took care of each other as best they could.

The elder was a beautiful boy with hair like spun silver even as a child. His features were fine to look on and he did his best to keep a smile on his face and on the face of his brother. He took what menial jobs he could find and sold his hair to keep clothes on their backs.

The younger was sharper, hair grown long out of rebellion and the color of copper or blood. His golden eyes darted everywhere and it was said in the village near their home that he could see the worth of things instantly. He hunted in the forest, even though everything in it belonged to the lords in the castle only a few miles away. The squirrels and rabbits that he caught in his snares would never be missed, he reasoned, and they needed them more.

One day, when the younger was more than half grown and the elder approaching adulthood, the younger came home with grouse from his snares and a baby in his arms. The child had been alone in the woods with no parents in shouting distance. He was alone and would surely die on his own. The brothers didn't hesitate to take him in and spread the little that they had to take care of three instead of two.

They named the baby Ori and looked after him as if he were their brother by blood and not just a foundling. He was sange from the start, though it didn't make them love him any less. He never cried. Indeed, he rarely made a sound. He didn't cry or scream, and he didn't babble, laugh, or coo. He didn't flail or crawl or move the way other babies did either. He sat on his own early and looked around him with large, dark eyes, seeming content.

He didn't go through the stages of learning to talk, and for a time the brothers were afraid that he never would. But one day when he was almost two years old, he started to speak. He spoke in full sentences, with language the brothers had never used around him, eloquent as a sage. The villagers looked on him with suspicion to start, but it wasn't long before he answered a question and saved the village the cost of dousing for a new well.

After that, the villagers, and citizens of nearby towns, came to rely on Ori's wise words to carry on their business. When there was any kind of hardship, they sought out the brothers by the forest to ask the youngest what to do. They brought payment with them, though the brothers never asked for any, and the shack was fixed up and they had enough food and to spare. They shared their new wealth with the unfortunate of the nearby towns, and the entire region prospered.

The prosperity came to the ears of the lord in his castle, and soon there were rumors that they would all be turned out so the lord could take their lands for himself. It was a danger that not even Ori - only five, but more trusted than the village elders - could tell them how to avoid. And so the village lived in fear, and the brothers grew angry and sorrowful at their inability to help their neighbors.

One quiet day, Ori turned to his brothers. "Dori, Nori, you have done your best to take care of me all these years. I want to help you as I have helped those around us. What is the wish deepest in your hearts?"

"Love," said Dori, at an age where young men think of the future and who they want to spend it with.

"Safety," said Nori, incensed at the rumors and wanting to know that he would not lose his home.

Ori nodded. "Those are both easily answered. Go now to the castle where our lord lives and you will find what you seek."

The brothers trusted Ori, so they went at once, walking the few miles from their home to the castle easily. They looked in at the gate and saw the lord's two sons sparring in the courtyard.

The young men were much the age as the brothers, young and light hearted, and their laughter rang through the yard. Lord Balin, the elder, had a fine aristocratic nose, long black hair, and blue eyes that sparkled with merriment as he circled his brother. Lord Dwalin, the younger, was larger than his brother and merrier, brown hair queued at the nape of his neck and sword spinning in his hands as though it was a dagger.

Dori took one look at Lord Balin and caught his breath, knowing he could never love another. The soft sound got the attention of the young lords, and Lord Balin was across the yard and opening the gate almost before he could blink. The two touched hands and the rest of the world seemed to fade around them.

Nori looked at Lord Dwalin, a boy almost grown, as he was himself. Lord Dwalin had grown up with everything Nori had had to struggle for, and the poorer younger brother challenged the richer to a duel. They fought for almost an hour, though by the end they had forgotten their quarrel and laughed together as they wrestled on the grass.

When they looked up, they saw Ori standing at the gate.

"Balin, Dwalin," he said. "Years and years ago, an ancestor of yours did me a favor and asked that I find him the perfect partner. I have taken many forms through the years, but until now I haven't been able to fulfill the request. Balin, Dori is careful and caring, putting others' needs before his own and very aware of those around him. He will be a good partner for when you are the lord of these lands. Dwalin, Nori is cunning and careful. He knows the best and worst of the world around him, and can see the value of everything around him. He will be a good counter to your brashness, and you can protect each other and keep each other safe."

And so it was.


	10. roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fíli's roommate wasn't what he expected.

Fíli had many good traits, and, being eighteen, would be the first to expound on them. He was smart - not top of the class smart, but he had never failed a class or an assignment in his life. He was sporty and in good shape - he played soccer in the fall, lacrosse in the spring, and fenced and did martial arts outside of school. He was generally a kind and polite young man, and charming to boot - the kind of boy mothers weren't sorry to see their daughters on dates with. He was handsome, so there were plenty of girls who wanted to date him. And he was the oldest, which meant he was the heir to the family fortune. It wasn't as big as it had been in the 1920s - they had lost almost everything when the stock market crashed - but it had been three generations, and they weren't doing badly for themselves.

He also had faults, though he wasn't as likely to mention those. He was slapdash about everything. His mother had long bemoaned the fact that he _could have_ been in the top of his class if he'd just _tried_. It was also the reason that Kíli was allowed to cook but he wasn't. He rarely took anything seriously, which probably explained the sheer number of girlfriends he'd had. He was mischievous and sarcastic, although his charm usually kept people from realizing when he'd insulted them and he tried not to be mean to people who didn't deserve it. He was also an unrepentant mess. He couldn't clean if his life depended on it.

This hadn't been much of a problem at home. He put his dishes in the dishwasher and made sure cold things went back in the fridge, but there was a designated "Fíli spot" where his stuff was allowed in the front hall, and other than that it all stayed in his room. He had his own room, so it wasn't a problem.

College students had roommates. Fíli had heard all the horror stories, of course. Every did. But he had also built up hopes about a roommate who was like him, who he could do things with. Someone to go to parties with, try to study with, hit on girls with, sneak drinks with when the RA wasn't there.

Reality, of course, was neither of those. Ori was quiet, studious, shy, neat. Fíli knew it wasn't fair, but he kind of resented the other boy for it. And it was so easy to say things that he knew he shouldn't and think that it didn't matter. Ori was so quiet sometimes Fíli forgot that he was there. Sometimes he said mean things just to try and get a reaction. All that ever happened was that Ori blushed and looked away. Fíli wasn't sure he even knew his roommate's voice.

College was different than high school. He couldn't sail through his classes in quite the same way. And although his charm landed him plenty of people to hang out with, finding people he could trust was something else again. He tried to dull loneliness with partying, and he kept in touch with family and old friends, visiting or being visited most weekends. It got to the point where he hardly remembered he had a roommate.

Until the day he walked in and found the other boy hunched over his desk in the increasingly small island of neat, his shoulders hitching in a way that couldn't be anything but tears.

Fíli was across the room, arm secure around Ori's shoulders before he even had a chance to think about it. And Ori didn't protest or try to pull away. He turned into Fíli, although they had barely spoken all year long, and broke into sobs. Fíli held him through it, patient and calm, until Ori was able to rein himself in and speak.

"I know," he said, still clinging to Fíli's shirt, "that Dori needs to work two jobs even with the scholarships. But I thought he'd at least find time to call on my birthday."

That was more than Fíli had ever heard Ori say at once, and it raised more questions than answers. And they weren't friends - were hardly acquaintances. But it was Ori's birthday and he was alone, and there weren't many choices Fíli felt he had.

He helped Ori clean up and change, lending him some things out of his own wardrobe. Then he took the other boy out for a quality birthday dinner. They went to a movie after, Ori picking one that Fíli wouldn't have gone to on his own. And then they wandered the town until the wee hours of the morning, talking about family and school and everything and nothing at once, until they were laughing at things that weren't even funny and tearing up at the same things a moment later.

They stumbled into their room past two in the morning and collapsed into bed together. When they woke, they were curled together, and there was no question after that if they were friends.


	11. Do I Know You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nwalin Week (Take 2) Day 3. Prompt: "Do I Know You?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follows the superhero au from [several chapters ago.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2369321/chapters/5894489)

It had been an ambush. Balin had come to them with information about where the Wind was blowing, where their enemy was going to strike. And they had gone to take care of it as they always did, but this time it was an ambush. There had been more than two dozen hidden troops ready to jump out at them as soon as they were close enough. And while Dwalin could fight without feeling pain, he knew that he would be down for the count once he calmed down.

He snarled as he cut through another, trying to close in on the Wind. The other man was standing in what seemed like shock, and he hadn't melted through a wall yet. Dwalin was determined to get to him before he did. He raised his axe and then jerked to a stop as golden eyes were turned on him.

"Nori?" he asked, voice breaking.

"Do I know you?"

It was enough for Dwalin to know for certain. "Nori," he said again, trembling as his rage receded enough for him to feel the bruises and cuts.

And that was enough for recognition to flash through the golden eyes that Dwalin had thought he knew so well. For a moment Nori was in front of him and Dwalin saw his own name whispered. And then the Wind vanished through the wall and Dwalin was left alone and grieving.


	12. Hello, Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nwalin Week (Take 2) Day 3. Prompt: Hello, Old Friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The is the only one that doesn't have a specific verse it's written for. I do have one in mind, but it's not one that I've written yet.

Nori sat down with a smile and reached out for Dwalin's hand. Dwalin had never turned him down for physical comfort. It was what the old warrior was the best at, and he had had plenty of need for it over the years.

So Nori took Dwalin's hand as he sat down in the mountain he'd thought to never enter again, and began talking about the twenty years he'd been gone. He talked until he was hoarse - Dwalin had never been one to interrupt - the smile barely wavering as he listened to calm, even breaths and watched the unmoving body.

And when he couldn't speak anymore, he just sat and held the hand of the comatose man in front of him, wishing he'd been there. He might not have been able to do anything to keep him from this fate, but to find after twenty years of travel he had been the safer one on the road and thieving than Dwalin had been safe under stone was almost more than he could bear. 

He slept there that night, Dwalin's hand still heavy in his own. Waking brought him no moment of forgetfulness, and he squeezed the hand that was still in his own before he even opened his eyes. When there was answering pressure, his eyes flew open.

Dwalin was watching him. He spoke even before Nori could find his voice through shock. "Hello, old friend."


	13. Among Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nwalin Week (Take 2) Day 6. Prompt: Among Enemies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Superhero AU

Dwalin was always warm. The heat of his hand was comforting to Nori, who could feel himself fading at the edges. But he certainly couldn't be blamed for it, walking into the base of his enemies with nothing but Dwalin's promise of his safety. And yet he trusted Dwalin implicitly to keep him safe.

He stayed close to Dwalin's side as he looked around at the group, men and women eyeing him suspiciously.

"This is Nori," Dwalin said, voice rumbling through Nori's body. He left it there, and Nori hoped the others wouldn't notice that he wasn't sure if he had feet.

"Why is he here?"

"I want him to understand why we do what we do." He wrapped an arm around Nori protectively, and Nori leaned into the comfort of the touch and watched the surprise and alarm on the faces around them.

"They don't trust you," he whispered, his own arm snaking out to circle Dwalin's broad body and cling to his shirt.

"They do," Dwalin answered in a normal pitch. "I'm dangerous."

"So are they," Nori said. He snuggled even closer, defiantly, knowing he was completely solid now in his anger. "Why should I trust anything they say?"

"We're protecting the city," one of them said belligerently.

"The city or the government?" Nori responded. Dori was the one who planned, but even Nori knew the government was corrupt and they were fighting it as only they could. "Does anything you do help people? Or does it just help the police and the government?"

Dwalin looked startled, but the others were frowning. "You're talking like the government doesn't help its own people." Angry eyes looked at where he held Dwalin and not at him.

"I've had enough," he said. "Next time, you come to me." In front of all of them, he pulled Dwalin into a kiss and then faded out and vanished from the building.


	14. Stay With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have recently done a bunch of prompts on [my tumblr](http://judayre.tumblr.com/). It's about time I put them up here too...

Dwalin’s arms were the safest, warmest place to be. Nori could stay there forever. But that was the problem, of course. He couldn’t. He wasn’t the kind that people stayed with. He was fun for a tumble, dangerous, willing to try anything once. He was not the kind that was brought to meet parents. Not the kind that people stayed with.

And it was dangerous to want more when you weren’t that kind of person. More than one had strung him along, having found out. Promised everything and given nothing.

Nori always left after sex. He didn’t give himself time in those arms that he wanted to stay in. Leave first. Don’t look back. Leave them wanting more. Make the other one vulnerable so that you weren’t. Nori had done it so long it came naturally, but it had never been so hard.

He stirred himself, made his bones hold him so he wasn’t just a limp pile of mush on the bed. Dwalin released him instantly, and Nori pulled himself to his feet, not looking back.

“Do you have to go?” Dwalin asked plaintively.

It was the first time he’d asked that, and Nori turned with wide eyes at the question. And he saw something in Dwalin’s face, something that said you don’t have to run away. We feel the same, don’t we?

Nori hesitated, trembling. He closed his eyes, battling between staying and going. Finally, he opened his eyes.

“If you tell me to go, I will. And I won’t come back. Ask me to stay and I will never leave you again.”

It was out in the open, and Nori waited, twitching with tension. He could always run like the coward he was.

But Dwalin was smiling. He reached out, snagging Nori’s wrist in one hand. And he didn’t have to ask, because the way he pulled Nori to him and wrapped around him was enough.


	15. Worry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin isn't home yet. Nori worries.

Nori didn’t usually hover around the main gate to Erebor, but the caravan Dwalin had been traveling with was more than a week late returning, and people were starting to lose hope. He was constantly interrupted and distracted by his spies, loyal enough that they wanted him to be hurt as little as possible if it came down to a complete loss. As such, it took him long moments to recognize that Dwalin had come home.

With a shout, he raced to him, leaping on him and wrapping arms around his neck. Dwalin stumbled and sagged, something he didn’t do no matter how tired he was. Nori backed away in concern and only then realized that his hands were damp. He looked down at them and saw red.

“Why the hell are you bleeding?!” he demanded, spinning around his lover to try and see the damage. Dwalin didn’t turn with him, only stood sagging where he was, which worried Nori more than anything else.

“There was an attack on the caravan,” he said, voice rough with exhaustion and pain. "The rest are still out there. I was the only one in any shape to get here. Just as well, there were more bandits on the road between them and here.“

He began to list to one side, and Nori grabbed for him desperately as he passed out.


	16. Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin kisses Nori at a celebration.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

Nori blinked and stared. It was a party - Thorin’s official coronation. There was music and dancing. Food and drink. Lots of drink. The company was all there, and Dáin and Bard and even Thranduil.

Lots and lots of drink. There was music of all kinds and dancing - and watching Kíli and Tauriel dance was something Nori wouldn’t soon forget, especially since Kíli still had to walk with a cane. And Nori had done some of everything. He’d pulled out his flute to add to the music, paying special attention to Dwalin’s viol so they played beautiful harmonies. He’d danced with both of his brothers, a few noblewomen from the Iron Hills (and made off with some truly exquisite rings, just because they annoyed him), both of Bard’s daughters, and even taken a round with the Elf who had brought most of their meals in Mirkwood (and flirted shamelessly). He had eaten more than he had ever had at a single meal (although it was all spaced out among everything else that it wasn’t at all the same, right?). And he’d tried a bit of every drink they had out.

By the time they paused for speeches and cheering, he was more than a little tipsy. Perhaps that was why they had put it then - people with too much drink would be more likely to fall asleep through a long speech than shout for it to end, and those who had exhausted themselves dancing wouldn’t have the breath to.

Thorin gave the last speech - short, thankfully. It wasn’t until then that Nori realized that Dwalin was standing next to him. He turned to smile happily up at him. Dwalin had looked back at him. And then, as the cheering started, he leaned down to kiss him.

And now he was apologizing for it and Nori was just blinking in confusion like he was far more drunk than he knew he was. So, knowing his own mind no matter what was in his stomach, and needing less talking after all of those speeches, he grabbed Dwalin by the front of his tunic, and pulled him down into another.


	17. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kíli tells Dori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Possibly related to [this one](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2369321/chapters/8062821), but maybe not. I tend to see Kíli as younger in this one....

“Dori?”

Dori turned from his cleaning to see Kíli in the doorway, hanging on it like a child half his age. He smiled to see the prince he’d watched grow up with his baby brother such good friends they were practically inseparable despite more than ten years between them.

“Come in, Kíli,” he greeted.

The boy scampered to his side, leaning in against him. "Before you decide to kill me, let me explain?“ he begged.

"Oh dear,” Dori said, sitting and pulling Kíli down next to him. "What have you done now, and why are you telling me and not your mother?“

Kíli shivered and turned to press his face into Dori’s shoulder. "Please listen,” he pleaded. The story he told was one of children growing up. Learning together the ways of pleasure, and how to touch themselves and others to feel it. It was a story of children so simple and so deep in exploration that they had no thought for consequences.

Yes, Dori was angry. But he was mostly angry at himself and the Lady Dís for being so busy thinking of the youngest in their families as babies that they didn’t notice when they became old enough and more to become parents themselves. Ori and Kíli hadn’t been properly prepared, and now they were facing the consequences. And terrified of them, by the look on Kíli’s face (or perhaps he was just terrified of what Dori would do).

Dori sighed and wrapped an arm around Kíli’s shoulder and took charge.


	18. Circus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tilda wants to run away with the circus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modernish.

Tilda slipped through the twilight darkness, navigating by the lights coming from the campers the circus people lived in. They weren’t very helpful, and she kept tripping over things as she tried to figure out a good place to stow away.

She was concentrating so hard that it wasn’t until someone grasped her by the back of the shirt that she realized she wasn’t alone. She was roughly turned around and came face to face with the frightening, scarred visage of the Madman of the freak show. They said he was possessed by demons and only the cage he was in protected them all.

“Well, little mouse,” he growled. "What are you doing here? Do you know what we do to tresspassers?“

"You can’t do much,” Tilda answered, trying to hide her fright. "You’d be lynched for hurting me.“

The man’s face smoothed out of ferocity and into confusion. "You know Dalish?”

“Papa is from Dale,” she said. "He made sure we all learned it, even though Dale is gone.“

He pulled her into the camper she’d been sneaking past and she blinked in the sudden flood of light. In the stark light of the bare bulb, she was able to see the mass of scars mangling the left side of the man’s face as she hadn’t when she went through the dim tent of the freak show. It looked horrible in different ways than it had then, but she knew that the circus performers used make up.

He pressed her into a seat and poured her a mug of tea. "Now, little mouse,” he said, still in Dalish, “what are you doing here?”

“My name is Tilda,” she said forcefully, although her father called her _mishkele_ as well, and hearing it gave her a pang of homesickness. "I’m going to join the circus.“

He looked at her with raised brows (although he hardly had on on his left side). He spoke, and she began to understand that he could only speak in Dalish. "Most don’t join the circus by sneaking in at night.” He put a hand up to cover his face. "Most don’t join the circus if they’ve any other choice.“

With a sudden, deep empathy, Tilda leaned forward and took his big, calloused hands in her own. "You’re not so scary when you’re not in the cage and shrieking,” she said. He smiled sadly at her, one side pulled down by scars and making him look lopsided, and she didn’t think she’d ever be frightened of him again.

He squeezed her hand. "Now, mishkele, tell Bifur why you want to join the circus.“

How could she do that? He knew Dalish, but that didn’t mean she could tell him how invisible she was. Invisible unless they were talking about how much she ate, or how much her school books cost, or how quickly she went through clothes. Papa was so busy working that he was only home to sleep and she didn’t think she’d seen him smile in years. Bain was always off with his friends and never had time for a tag along little sister. And Sigrid was too busy pretending she was an adult to play.

"I just do,” she said, raising her chin slightly.

Bifur held her hands tightly and leaned forward. "Mishkele,“ he said, speaking slowly to make sure that she understood him, "this is no life for a child. The circus is smoke and mirrors. It’s acting. It’s lies. A place for those cast out of the world. I see love in the roses of your cheeks. Someone will worry.”

He could see the stubbornness in her face and stood. He turned, and she was suddenly afraid he would tell someone she was here and she would be brought home in disgrace. But he turned back to her with a carving of a bear that looked like it was sitting and listening. He put the bear in Tilda’s hands.

“Mishkele, life is rarely what we hope, but we can make it better if we work at it with those who love us. Take Beleka. Tell her your troubles. We will be back next year. Come and tell me if she has helped.”

She looked at the bear uncertainly, but nodded. It was a very good carving, Beleka looked friendly and understanding. Bifur looked friendly and understanding as well, and maybe if he thought she was loved she could believe him. She would come see him in a year either way.


	19. Chapter 19

“Get back here!”

Dwalin only heard laughter in response to his bellow, and the children seemed to find a new source of speed. He followed them through the market, not able to match their maneuverability. Where the children ducked under and around carts and people, Dwalin had all he could do to not knock them all down. But he had to keep his attention on the bright and dark hair of his young cousins and that took all his attention.

So he had too much momentum to stop when a man was suddenly in front of him. He shouted a warning and had a glimpse of frightened green-gold eyes before they crashed into each other and fell to the ground. Dwalin knew how to fall, and curled himself around the other man to minimize the harm they both came to.

There was the feel of slim hands on him and he looked up into the breathless face of an absolutely beautiful man. His arms tightened a bit where they went around the other man, and the man’s confusion turned into a flirting smile.

Before Dwalin could say anything, the other man was wrenched out of his arms.

“Got you now, Nori!” the newcomer crowed.

Dwalin rose and saw the newcomer’s partner swallow as he looked up at him. "I suggest you go,“ he said, voice low and threatening. They went.

The other man, _Nori_ , leaned up against him and kissed his mouth. "Thanks,” he breathed, and then he was gone as well.

Dwalin blinked a few times, still feeling Nori’s lips, and looked around for him. It was only when he heard a tiny giggle that he remembered what he had been doing and rounded on Fíli and Kíli.


	20. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori didn't expect Dwalin to come to him like this....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern AU. Fem!Dwalin.

“We need to talk.”

Nori nearly choked on his cigarette and looked up to see Dwalin Durin, who had been the dark goddess of his wet dreams for the past few months - at a very conservative estimate - looking down at him. It was the second time she had really spoken to him, and he couldn’t help comparing the severe look on her face now to the one hazily remembered from the night they had spent together.

It had been a party. He didn’t know the guy who was holding it, but that had never stopped him. There were free drinks, and that meant he was going to be there. It wasn’t like he could do any of that at home. Not with so much of Dori’s money still going to the medical bills their mom had built up before she finally died. And then there was Ori, and they both needed to give his just-seven self everything they couldn’t justify giving themselves. But sometimes he just needed to go out and be a stupid teenager.

He’d had some drinks, joked with friends who had also crashed the party. Then he’d turned, and there she was, dancing. Her hair was in a fierce crest on top of her head. He’d noticed it in school when they passed, so he knew it had to be her. He’d never seen her in any dress, let alone one like the deep green dress she wore, which showed off her curves gloriously. She had boots on with it, knee high and so dark brown it took Nori a moment to realize she wasn’t barefoot.

With some drink in him to give him courage, Nori had approached the girl who he had long thought was out of his league. He pressed up close behind to dance with her and felt her tense at the touch. But when she turned to see who it was, she smiled and he saw pleasure glint in her dark eyes. She had leaned into his touch, and it didn’t take long or much whispered conversation for them to go find someplace to be alone.

They hadn’t spoken in school after that. They were in two very different groups. A party was one thing, but they couldn’t do more than let their eyes catch from time to time once they were back in the daylight world.

And here she was, looking how he had always seen her before in jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair hung long around her face and shoulders in twists, and there was little pleasure in her eyes today.

He scrambled to his feet, cigarette falling into the dust under the bleachers where he had hid to smoke. “Anything you want,” he said before he could control his tongue.

There was a flicker of a smile across her lips, but it didn’t last. “Neither of us thought about protection,” she said without any further lead up.

“I’m pretty sure I’m clean, but I’ll get tested if you want,” he offered, unsure why this was coming up after almost three months.

Her eyes flashed. “It’s not all about STDs, Nori. Not every girl is on the pill.”

The blood slowly drained from his face. “You’re sure it’s mine?” he asked faintly.

He probably deserved the punch that sent him sprawling.

“You’re the only one I’ve been with!” Dwalin answered hotly.

Nori waited for her to estimate how long it had been since she’d been with someone else. When it didn’t come, the blood that had started to rise again fled. “You were…. You mean you never….?”

“That’s not important,” Dwalin snapped, looking embarrassed through her anger. “The important thing is what now.”

“What do you want?” Nori asked, scrambling back to his feet. “I’ll support you.”

Dwalin crossed her arms and looked at him. “If I want an abortion?”

He nodded. “I can go with you.”

“If I want to keep it?”

He swallowed. “Then I’ll…. Help? It’s your choice.”

“This is useless,” Dwalin spat, turning on her heel.

Nori stared after her, then sprinted to catch her before she left the shelter of the bleachers. “What do you want from me? I’m trying to be supportive! You’re the one who’s going through this. It’s your body, so it’s your choice!”

She shook his hand off. “In that case, there’s no point in talking to you, is there?” she growled.

“What do you want from me?” Nori demanded, voice rising. “I’m a teenager with a baby brother and no parents. There’s no way I can support–”

“Money,” Dwalin spat. “I don’t need your fucking money.”

“Then what the hell do you want?”

“You! If I’m going to do this, I want you there. I don’t want to do it alone, I want you with me.”

Nori stared. “You do?” He reached out again, hesitantly this time, and she met his hand with her own. They walked back deeper into the bleachers to have a real talk.


	21. I Thought You Were Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori sits at Dwalin's side after the Battle of Five Armies.

He had to sit sideways next to the cot to accommodate his leg, but twisting to look at the man occupying it made his cracked ribs hurt. The crutch Bofur had made leaned up against the stool, and Nori kept running a hand through his hair. They’d had to cut it to stitch up a head wound, and Dori had insisted on evening it out.

In the cot, Dwalin barely breathed. He was one of the last who’d been brought in, and Nori was already hobbling about against healer orders when he was. They’d found him under a pile of Orcs near where Thorin had fought Azog for the last time. He was covered in blood both black and red and the only living thing in the pile, even just barely.

With Thorin unconscious - and they weren’t sure if he would wake again - and the prince’s both delirious, Dáin was in charge of the Dwarf part of the camp. He had ordered everything done for Dwalin, told them not to give up on him. But Nori knew no one had much hope. He’d lost at least one eye, both legs and one arm had been broken. Much of his chest had been lacerated. And he had been crushed under the pile of Orcs, so several of his ribs were broken. And might have punctured a lung, although Nori had been painfully watching and hadn’t seen him bubbling up blood.

They’d almost dragged him to the burning pit, set up carefully down wind of the camp. So many were dead that there was no choice but to burn them all. They were dividing the bodies. Thranduil took charge of the Elves, Bard directed the pyre for the Men, and Balin said the words for the Dwarves as he had learned them at Azanulbizar. The Orcs were heaped and burned as waste, no one interested in mourning their passing.

Most of the company was doing their part as well as they could. Nori knew he could be doing something - broken leg or not - but he had almost given up on seeing Dwalin brought in by the time he had seen him carried in, still as death. His heart had stopped, and he had never realized that something could hurt as much as it did right then.

He must have slept, uncomfortably hunched on the stool, although he wasn’t sure how the ache in his ribs had allowed it. He woke slowly, which was strange for him, but he’d never been hurt as badly as he had in the battle. It took a long time for him to realize that one hand was being held. He turned to stare, wide eyed. Dwalin’s breathing was still painful and shallow, but one eye was open and on Nori.

“I thought you were dead,” was the only thing he could say, voice shaking beyond his control.

“And leave you?” Dwalin rasped, throat dry and bruised from shouting. "Never.“

Nori had managed to keep his tears in until then.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kíli isn't jealous of Legolas (except that he totally is).

“I wish he wouldn’t come around.”

“Who?”

“The blond with the bow.”

“That’s rich, coming from someone at an archery yard. You have a bow too, you know.”

“But I’m not blond!”

Tauriel smiled at how indignant Kíli sounded. She smoothed back his brown hair and leaned down to kiss his head from her extra four inches of height. "Indeed. Now really, what are you so upset about?“

Kíli sulked. "He touches you like he has a right to.”

The young woman blinked. "You’re talking about Legolas? He’s like my brother. Of course he touches me.“

"I don’t like it!” Kíli repeated. "He doesn’t look at you like a brother, and he doesn’t even pay attention to me.“

"Maybe he can’t see you down there,” Tauriel teased. Then she paused. "Wait a minute. Are you jealous?“

Kíli turned bright red. "No! I just don’t like him. I don’t think he thinks of you the same way you think of him and he takes your attention whenever he wants it.”

Tauriel laughed and leaned down to kiss his mouth this time. "We were raised together. I think of him as a brother. I have chosen to date you, and you have nothing to worry about. Least of all Legolas. He is as gay as the day is long, and has been pining for years.“ She wrapped her arms around him, seeing how his ears were still red.

"I love you,” she said softly, leaning against his head.

“I love you too,” Kíli answered, leaning into her.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori is afraid. Dwalin helps.

Dwalin’s arms were the safest, warmest place to be. Nori could stay there forever. But that was the problem, of course. He couldn’t. He wasn’t the kind that people stayed with. He was fun for a tumble, dangerous, willing to try anything once. He was not the kind that was brought to meet parents. Not the kind that people stayed with.

And it was dangerous to want more when you weren’t that kind of person. More than one had strung him along, having found out. Promised everything and given nothing.

Nori always left after sex. He didn’t give himself time in those arms that he wanted to stay in. Leave first. Don’t look back. Leave them wanting more. Make the other one vulnerable so that you weren’t. Nori had done it so long it came naturally, but it had never been so hard.

He stirred himself, made his bones hold him so he wasn’t just a limp pile of mush on the bed. Dwalin released him instantly, and Nori pulled himself to his feet, not looking back.

“Do you have to go?” Dwalin asked plaintively.

It was the first time he’d asked that, and Nori turned with wide eyes at the question. And he saw something in Dwalin’s face, something that said you don’t have to run away. We feel the same, don’t we?

Nori hesitated, trembling. He closed his eyes, battling between staying and going. Finally, he opened his eyes.

“If you tell me to go, I will. And I won’t come back. Ask me to stay and I will never leave you again.”

It was out in the open, and Nori waited, twitching with tension. He could always run like the coward he was.

But Dwalin was smiling. He reached out, snagging Nori’s wrist in one hand. And he didn’t have to ask, because the way he pulled Nori to him and wrapped around him was enough.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> High school lab partners.

“Sir, we’re old enough to pick our own lab partners.”

Nori could only think of a few times he’d ever agreed with Thorin President-of-the-Student-Council-Captain-of-the-Football-Team Durin, and never this whole heartedly. There was a stir of agreement around the room as all of the seniors in the science class protested being assigned partners like they were still in grade school.

“Nevertheless,” the teacher responded firmly. “For the beginning of the year I will assign lab partners.”

There was angry muttering, and Nori crossed his arms, wishing every uncomfortable illness on the teacher, especially ones that involved lots of vomiting. He listened for his name and moved to the indicated lab table. It was only when he got there that he realized he’d been paired with Thorin’s cousin Dwalin, and he perked up. Dwalin Durin, also on the football team and tall and broad enough to look the part. Nori had masterbated to thoughts of him for years. He could imagine what the dark teen would look like with piercings and tattoos and dyed hair, and thought he might do anything Dwalin asked of him.

And that, in the end, was what told him what was going on. He turned to glance around the room at the other pairs, but that was only confirmation. The teacher had matched traditional troublemakers - like him - with the straight laced, high performing students, hoping that good work habits would rub off, no doubt.

Nori would absolutely not mind if Dwalin wanted to rub off on him….

Class was not the place to give himself a boner. Now that he knew what was going on, he could handily counter it by making as much trouble as always and putting even less effort into his work.

Dwalin scowled at him. “Well?”

Nori shivered all the way down to his boots at the sound of that voice, but he put on his most indifferent tone. “Well what? I won’t get in the way if you want to work on this piece of useless make-work.”

He rested his chin in his hand and made a production of looking away while still watching Dwalin from the corner of his eye. Dwalin was glowering at the paper in front of him as if he could make it burst into flames from anger alone, but he didn’t get started on it.

It made no sense. Dwalin was a hard worker. He had to keep his grades up for football and he wasn’t one to shirk an assignment. Maybe because he couldn’t work with his cousin? Nori glanced over to Thorin. While the other was busy trying to get Bofur to do his share of the work, he also looked over at their table more than once and Nori could read worry in his eyes.

Nori looked back and saw that Dwalin was hunched over, still looking darkly at the lab sheet - just the standard “what are the lab rules, where is the safety equipment?” as though they hadn’t done this every year since they’d been in school - and his lips were moving slowly. At first, Nori thought he was cursing, but when he really focused his attention, he could hear Dwalin whispering the words on the page.

Or at least approximations of them. He seemed to get letters backwards, and Nori could tell he’d missed several words but Dwalin didn’t stop or go back.

Thorin’s worry and insistence on always being his cousin’s partner suddenly made sense. It could be good blackmail material for someone who didn’t mind the threat of the football team united against him.

Nori just shifted himself closer, knocking his shoulder against the solid one next to him.

“Hey, sexy. We’ve read all of this before. Let’s skip to the questions and get it done real fast.”

There was an explosion of relief on Dwalin’s face and Nori bit the inside of his lip to keep from saying something to draw attention to it. Instead, he let his lips widen into something between a smirk and a leer.

“I bet if we finish early we can come up with an excuse to both leave class and go find somewhere to make out.”

He wasn’t really expecting Dwalin’s eyes to darken with desire, or for him to lick is lips while looking at Nori’s own. But he would certainly deal with it.


	25. Teenage Pregnant Dwalin Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have to tell Balin. This frightens them both.

“You’ll be with me, right?”

“You want me along while you tell your brother you’re pregnant?” Nori asked, incredulous.

Dwalin winced, but nodded.

Nori had already been dreading meeting Balin Durin. Dwalin’s brother was almost ten years older than her and on more than half the trophies at school. He had been a top wrestler in his weight class and on the baseball team. And the student council president.

Of all the Durin family - and there were a lot of them - Nori wanted to meet hm the least. Thorin threw his weight around well, but if it came down to it, Nori knew he could take the other teen. He had no such assurance with Balin. He was the boy who had knocked up Balin’s baby sister, and there was no telling what the man would do. He had sworn to help her in any way, but was this really necessary?

He glanced up at Dwalin out of the corner of his eye and saw how she ran her fingers between the long twists of her hair. It dawned on him that he wasn’t the only scared one. Even with everything they’d talked about together, he was still caught up in his own head - his own head filled with the “macho bullshit” she sneered that she didn’t have time for. Dwalin was admitting a huge misstep to an older brother who was almost a legend, and she was scared too. Perhaps more than he was.

He slipped his pale fingers through her dark ones, lifting their hands to kiss the spot where their fingers laced together. She looked down at him, her fear visible in her eyes even past the gentle smile she gave him as she squeezed his hand. He let her see his own and pulled her down for the softest of kisses before reaching for the door handle.


	26. Pregnant Teenage Dwalin Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori keeps Dwalin calm.

Dwalin had never needed the touch of a hand to hold her back. Granted, her cousins would more likely be backing her up and egging her on and her brother would just sigh and get ready to bandage her up after. So she’d never had someone who would out a hand on her arm and keep her calm.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. She wanted to be angry, wanted to punch Thorin until his stupid mouth was on the other side of his head. She wanted to make Glóin’s scowl bloody and she wanted to black both eyes Frerin was glaring out of.

On the other hand, Nori was warm standing next to her. He was warm and calm, smirking and throwing sarcasm like pointed barbs and maybe doing as much damage as she could with her fists. And she could see that they didn’t know what to do with that, and that went some way to appeasing her anger.

Then also, Nori’s touch was gentle and comforting and she wanted to lean into it and disappear. It was strange, but not bad. And when she reached up to lace their fingers together, the smile Nori sent her way was worth anything, and the impotent rage from her cousins was better than hitting them.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori and Dwalin are lost in a cave.

“We’re lost.”

“We’re not lost.”

“We’re lost.”

“We’re Dwarves underground!”

“We’re Dwarves underground and we’re lost.”

Nori stopped walking to turn and glare at his partner.

Dwalin crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Tell me you can feel the way and you’re lying.“

"We’re Dwarves underground,” Nori repeated in a growl. "Why wouldn’t I be able to feel the way?“

"Because we’re in a Dwarf stronghold looking for a treasure store to burgle. Did you think this was going to be as easy as finding some Man’s hidden goods?”

“Then what would you do?” Nori challenged, frowning in a way that was more than half pout.

“Stop looking for the treasur store,” Dwalin said promptly, and Nori nearly screeched at him that that defeated the entire purpose of being down here. "There’s probably guards nearby, and people don’t usually think that the guard room needs to be hidden from stone sight. Look for that instead.“

Nori hesitantly changed the focus of his search and was near rewarded with a beacon of direction. He dragged Dwalin down for a brief, biting kiss. "When we’re done here you get the rest of my thanks,” he said, breathless despite the brevity of the kiss.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fili/Ori high school reunion.

Fíli had thought having senior photos and candids up was a silly idea when he first heard it. It had only been fifteen years - no one would have changed that much. But here he was, scanning the photos and trying to figure out who the man was talking to Tauriel. He hadn’t been out until more than halfway through college - not even to himself - but he had still noticed every hot guy in his class.

And, he thought, glancing at the chatting pair, the guy talking to Tauriel was hot. Light brown hair just tinting to auburn, just a little too long. Big, laughing eyes over a well formed, long nose. Slim, talented looking fingers. Fíli shivered a little, thinking about having them on him, and went back to the photos.

And there he was. Younger, obviously. All arms and legs - he must have had his main growth after graduation - with hands and feet that looked too big for him, like a puppy that was going to be a big dog. And as he looked at the photos, he remembered Ori Conell.

He had been out in high school, and there wasn’t much anyone was willing to do to him because he had two frankly terrifying older brothers. So, since he was mostly safe from vengeance, he had stepped in for others who were bullied. Sharp tongued and scathing, he was smarter than anyone had a right to be. Fíli had earned decent grades in school - he had to in order to play any sports, but it hadn’t been hard - and Ori always made him feel like an idiot.

His hair had been longer then, braided back with rainbow ribbons that only sort of looked good in hair that seemed redder than it was now. And wearing clothes that hadn’t been designed to be in pieces (it was the 90s - they’d all looked like that) and in the most garish colors possible to remind them all that he was gay and untouchable made him seem a different person. The man chatting with Tauriel was laughing and happy. And probably didn’t need a high school bully (because, while Fíli had never actively engaged in bullying, he wouldn’t try to fool himself that his lack of action was much better) hitting on him now.

“Don’t remember me?”

The voice was right into his ear, and Fíli jumped, whirling to see Ori standing way too close.

“Shouldn’t be surprised.” The laughter wasn’t the pleased sound it had been with Tauriel, but hard and with an edge that Fíli remembered from high school. “You were always a jerk in high school, even if you were unfairly hot.”

Fíli wanted to reply angrily, but Ori’s words sunk in and he slowly broke into a grin (a stupid grin, Kíli always called it). This seemed to confuse Ori until he visible went over what he had said. His eyes went round and the tips of his ears went red.

“Well,” Fíli said, his voice the smoothest he could make it with the stupid grin still on his face. “I’d like to think I’m not the jerk I was in high school. If you think I’m still unfairly hot, maybe we could get coffee and you could tell me if I’m right.”

“Maybe,” Ori said, and there was a blush on his cheeks now too. “How out are you?”

Fíli shrugged. “The important people know. I’ve brought home guys before.”

Ori considered. “You’ve had boyfriends?” Fíli nodded. Ori’s face broke into a grin akin to the mocking ones in the photos next to them but so different it was astounding. “So you’ll know what’s going on when I push you into a wall?”

Fíli grinned. This was the best idea ever.


	29. Pregnant Teenage Dwalin Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin and Dori talk.

judayre  
asparklethatisblue asked:  
I'd say 5 and Nwalin because I really like your verse for it. if not that, then 48 for Fíli and Ori?

Written in bits and spurts, because of course I ask for prompts the week I have 25 end of term reports to write, weekend duty, and a chorus concert. Technically Nwalin, but Nori isn’t actually in the story. The Fíli/Ori will come later, because I have ideas….

 

Dwalin looked at her face in the tiny mirror of the tiny bathroom. The too bright lights painted dark circles under her eyes and made her face look gaunt. She splashed water on her face, hoping the taste of bile would go away. She had thought morning sickness was a myth, but it was apparently quite real and not limited to mornings.

It had only been a few weeks. A few weeks that she’d known she was pregnant. A few weeks since she and Nori had started whatever this was. She had visited a few afternoons, getting to know Ori and Nori better. Ori was a good boy. He liked to play games and he liked to be read to. When he realized that Dwalin’s reading was slow, he started reading to her and seemed to like that just as much. Nori was clever and funny, which she had already known, but he was also sweet. She hadn’t expected the innocent mischievousness when he was playing with Ori. She hadn’t expected the gentleness when he touched her.

She hadn’t expected the awe in his eyes when she smiled at him, when they sat side by side and she leaned on him. She hadn’t expected to enjoy it as much as she did, or to want it. She hadn’t expected to find peace with him.

So she had spent some time there, when it was too much to be at home. Her father couldn’t look at her without growling, her mother had hardly spoken to her since she’d told them. And Balin kept trying to take over, like he always did. So sometimes she went to spend time with excitable little Ori, who just wanted attention, and Nori who was nervous and kind. And Dori, who she hadn’t seen much - he always seemed to be working - but who was understanding.

Today she hadn’t wanted to go home, so Nori had given up the couch that was his bed and curled on the floor in extra blankets. They had talked softly into the night before falling asleep. And now here she was, groggy after throwing up into their toilet. In the tiny apartment there was nowhere she could go without waking them, so she just stood stupidly looking at herself in the mirror.

The knock startled her, and she cracked the door, looking out to find Dori. "I can be out in just a minute,“ she said, but he bustled past her, closing the door behind. Before she quite knew what had happened, she was sitting on the closed toilet, a little embarrassed to be caught in a t-shirt and her underwear. But Dori, leaning against the sink, didn’t seem concerned and that put her at ease.

He offered her a steaming mug, cutting her off when she tried to protest and wrapping her fingers around it himself. "When we could afford mom’s chemo, she got sick easy. I got pretty good at making things she could keep down. Worked okay when she was pregnant with Ori, too.”

She sipped carefully, able to tell nothing other than that it was hot and soothed her raw throat. "You did this just now?“ she asked, voice rougher than she would have liked.

Dori shrugged. "I heard you. Nori’s a heavy sleeper, so it wasn’t like I was going to disturb him by making it.” He looked at her a long moment, at the way her loose t-shirt couldn’t quite hide how her stomach was rounding. Even if she hadn’t taken the pregnancy test, she would have known by now. "It’s…“ Dori hesitated. "I wouldn’t ask around him, of course, but…. The baby. It’s really Nori’s?”

She wanted to be angry, but Thorin had asked the same question, and not nearly as politely. Still, she knew what to expect from Thorin and she didn’t from Dori. So she kept her eyes on him as she nodded.

He sighed, seeming to deflate just a little. "Please,“ he said after a moment, "stay in school. Encourage him to finish. I’ll do everything I can, so please don’t throw away your opportunities.”

She stared a moment before remembering that once Nori had told her that his mother had left home younger than they were now to have Dori. She looked at him closer and saw how tightly he was gripping the edge of the sink. Empathy flooded through her and she stood - a few inches taller than him despite being almost ten years younger - not hugging him because she wasn’t a touchy person most of the time. "I promise,“ she said seriously.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin first sees Nori coming into the ER.

Meeting in the ER

Dwalin wanted to pace, wanted to scream, wanted to run. He wanted to do anything, but all he could do was sit in the uncomfortable chair with his hands locked together, trying not to shake himself into pieces. After all, he hadn’t been in the accident. He’d been the one Frerin was there to pick up when the drunk smashed into him.

He’d been allowed to ride in the ambulance but he had to wait out here. He’d called Thorin and Uncle Thráin, although he didn’t know why. Thorin was still away at college for another three weeks and Uncle Thráin was in the middle of a trial and couldn’t even answer his phone.

So he just sat in the waiting room, while little Frerin– He didn’t want to think it, but he knew…..

The doors slid smoothly open and someone stumbled through them before falling flat. It was a guy, Dwalin saw, young - maybe Frerin’s age but no more - hair long and red and falling over his shoulders like a bloody hood.

His shirt was sleeveless, and Dwalin could see the strain in his shaking arms as he tried to get himself off the floor. Dwalin went to help without conscious thought. The guy was cold, his chest heaving although his breathing was way too fast. He turned to look at Dwalin, but Dwalin got the feeling he wasn’t really seeing.

Dwalin turned and shouted for help. He could see blood seeping from near the other guy’s hairline and he recognized symptoms of shock. As an orderly came running with a stretcher, Dwalin murmured assurances and pulled the wallet from the guy’s back pocket.

Nori Conell, he read after the stretcher was whisked into the labyrinth of ER rooms. He brought it to the desk so they could find his information and notify whoever needed notification. And then he waited. For Frerin. For Nori. For good news where none was expected.


	31. Fuzzy Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby Kili makes a friend.

Kíli was tired and fussy. He was laying on a blanket under a tree and having no luck getting his foot in his mouth. And there was too much noise to sleep. Uncle Thorin was playing nearby with other people and they were loud. Kíli considered crying, but Mama wasn’t there and Fíli would just tell him to shhh.

Kíli rolled over - a trick that still got Mama to smile - and scuttled away from the noise of the playing. It took a long time to find a quiet spot, and he was really tired then. But nothing looked like his bed or even a blanket and he needed a blanket to be protected from the monsters. Kíli considered crying again, but this time there was no one to hear so there really wasn’t any point.

And then he heard someone else crying so he went to investigate. And found the perfect place to sleep.

~~~

“Kíli!” Dís would kill him if he lost one of her sons. Thorin worked to keep panic down. He had searched for people before, just never one so dear to him. If only Dís had been well enough to attend the tournament with them.

He pushed aside the foliage, retreating to silence so he could hear any possible sound. And he was rewarded with an annoyed grumble that he recognized instantly. "Kíli,“ he called softly, following the end of that little, wakening grumble to where the boy must be.

Curled up with a warg cub, and Thorin’s blood ran cold to see tiny fingers curled into the fur of the beast’s muzzle. Dís would kill him for letting her son get eaten by wargs. He swooped in and grabbed Kíli into his arms. The boy woke with a cry, then a full throated wail.

The warg cub woke as well and howled along with him. Thorin tried to get Kíli still enough to hold with one arm so he could pull his sword, but the boy wriggled and cried and reached for the cub.

No other wargs appeared and Thorin continued wary but not as panicked. A single cub could be taken care of. The important thing now was to get Kíli safely away and then he could kill the beast.

Kíli’s cries had turned to hopeless sniffling, but as soon as Thorin turned they rose again. "Fuzzy!” he wailed, reaching grabbing hands down toward the cub. And for all the world, it seemed that the cub was crying as well.

Thorin crouched down and the small animal tottered trustingly forward toward him. Ready at any moment to grab him, Thoin placed Kíli on the ground. Boy and beast gleefully hugged each other. It made Thorin’s stomach flip to see warg teeth so close to Kíli, but it was instantly obvious that no harm would come to him (purposefully - he was giggling at being licked all over the face but Thorin could see it would be raw later).

When he walked out of the woods this time, Fuzzy was with him too.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin gets a letter.

Balin hadn’t seen his brother in travel clothes in years. Dwalin had settled into the new life in Erebor happily, dressing himself finely and enjoying his work with the guard. To see him stalk by in old leathers, with Grasper and Keeper harnessed on his back and a raven riding one shoulder, was a flashback to a life Balin had thought long over.

“Where are you off to?” he asked, and Dwalin stopped.

“Read quickly,” he growled, all but shoving a scrap of paper in his hands.

Balin looked down, taking only a moment to recognize the half legible scrawl. There was no greeting.

_By the time you get this I’ll probably be dead. Everything went wrong this time, and it’s all your fault. I never believed in one true love, but since I’ve been with you, I can’t put up with anyone else. You’re the only one I want in my bed for now and always. I hope it’s not the same for you because I want better for you._

The Raven cawed impatiently while Balin returned the paper. Dwalin tucked it into his inner pocket, close to his heart, and left. Balin hoped it wasn’t too late.


	33. Pregnant Teenage Dwalin Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin is sad. Nori makes her feel better.

It had all seemed so simple when they were sitting under the bleachers. Just the two of them - two, with the possibility of a third.

Right away it had proven more complicated. It was hard to face the anger of her family, and Dori’s disappointment. But they had done it together, and they’d thought that was the worst, and they’d survived it, and everything would be okay.

But there was so much more. They informed the school so Dwalin could get the proper care. They informed the college she’d chosen so that she could dear enrollment with no penalty. She told her team and coach, because they deserved to hear it from her.

And then everyone knew.

It had never quite occurred to Nori how differently boy and girls were treated. His friends kept joking with him about “defrosting the ice bitch.” And in the next breath calling her a whore - because being pregnant apparently meant that she had had sex with anything that had a penis. And they commiserated with him “getting caught by her family” at the same time that they pressed him for details.

And if that was what they were saying to him, he could imagine what Dwalin herself was going through. Nori drifted away from those friends to spend more time with Dwalin, and made new friends out of the people who didn’t insult her.

She had made it through the morning sickness phase and was high on her own hormones. One minute she’d be laughing and teasing, and the next would see her in tears or screaming out anger. Nori did his best to ride it all out, his promise to be with her through it the most important thing to him.

Afternoons spent at her family’s apartment tended to make her sad. Her brother was there for her, but she never spoke of her parents anymore, and Nori didn’t want to ask. So he sat quietly with her head on his shoulder and let her speak without interrupting.

“…And I didn’t need to get you involved. Just because you slept with me when we were both drunk. Doesn’t mean you want me like I want you…”

But there he had to stop her. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, then each of her eyes. The tip of her nose. Both cheeks. And then her lips, lingering and soft.

“I wanted you since the first time I saw you. You were five years old with your hair in puffs and you were kicking someone in the shins for bullying Thorin.”

She laughed at that, and the edge of sadness was left, but it was receding. "It’s not like I need to kick shins for you,“ she teased. "You can kick shins well enough for yourself.” She paused, and the next question seemed terribly important. "Would you kick shins for me?“

He didn’t even have to think. "Yes.”

She smiled at him with her dark, dark eyes, and sometimes it was as simple as they’d thought.


	34. Fuzzy Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fuzzy is helpful at school.

Still tiny, if less so!

 

By virtue of his rank, Kíli should have sat at the front of the class. Instead, he always sat in the back with Fuzzy. The warg came to school with him, to the delight of his classmates and terror of his teachers. But what could they do about it? So the young warg curled up in the back of the classroom with Kíli sitting next to him.

At least he wasn’t a distraction. He lay there quietly, tail thumping when Kíli answered a question correctly, as if he paid attention and knew what was going on. Indeed, when Kíli needed help and the teacher couldn’t come to him directly, he would turn to the young warg and show him the problem. Inevitably, when the teacher made their way around, Kíli had gotten an answer - usually the correct one.

The first time Thorin had been informed of this, he questioned Kíli on it.

“Fuzzy is better at math than I am,” the boy replied. "He helps me.“

Thorin frowned at the young warg. Fuzzy, seeing attention on him, raised his head. His ears perked up and his tail thumped the floor twice, hopefully. Unable to disappoint the animal, Thorin patted him on the head, enjoying the canine pleasure that resulted from such a simple touch.

Kíli, he knew from experience, would stubbornly stick to a story when questioned. It would do no good to disbelieve his tale, no matter what reservations he had about the idea of a warg knowing math.

"You are lucky to have such a friend,” he said instead. "Do not forget your responsibility to take care of him as well.“

Kíli threw himself on the floor, arms circling Fuzzy’s shoulders, and beamed at his uncle.


	35. Pregnant Teenage Dwalin Part 6 (the smut)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori and Dwalin are drunk and have sex.

Dwalin was caught between the wall and Nori, the smaller boy’s body pressing tight against her as he stretched to meet her lips. The way their mouths tangled - all lips and teeth and tongue and breath - was filthy, but so good. His hands seemed to be everywhere, and–

When had he reached the zipper of her dress? How had he unzipped it, with her back pressed so tight to the wall? Did it really matter?

She could still feel a buzz in her head, but she wasn’t certain anymore what it was from. Yes, she’d been drinking at the party, but Nori.

He guided her dress down her arms, hands brushing so lightly against her skin that it gave her goosebumps. And he looked at her in a way that made her feel like more than Balin’s less smart baby sister, more than Thorin’s backup in a fight, more than a too muscled athlete. His eyes were blown with desire and they looked at her as if she was a goddess.

She pulled her arms from the sleeves of her dress, letting it fall and pool around her ankles as she grabbed his arms and kissed him again, demanding and deep, and worshipful touches were lavished on her.

His palms skated across the muscles of her sides and belly with what felt like delight, touching her so that she shivered with how good it felt. His fingers crawled over her, covering her breasts. She was out of her bra without a thought, needing his touch on skin. She gasped into his mouth as he played with her, caressing and teasing every part of her chest.

She had to pull away, to lean against the wall for support as she gasped for breath. There was no warning when she felt his tongue, and she gave a gasp, knees going weak as he thoroughly explored. It was so much and so good and so unlike anything she had ever imagined.

She could still distinguish feelings enough to know when his fingers hesitated at the waistband of her underpants. He nearly leapt back as she stirred, but all she did was drop them, standing fully naked before him. She didn’t give him much time to look, pulling his shirt off and then pressing close again, the feel of skin against skin all down her chest and belly so good. She kissed him again, trying to make him feel as good as she did.

He slipped from her grasp, and she blinked down at him where he knelt before her, a wicked grin on his face.

And then–

She moaned low and long, then bit her lips and concentrated on standing, on feeling everything that - oh! Nori! - he did to her. Of the pressure of his fingers on her hips, the brush of his hair against her thighs, the feel of his lips and his tongue…

She was boneless and shaking, a pile on the floor when he was done, she she greeted him warmly back into her arms, her whole body feeling him. And there were no more questions between them, no more need for any. They moaned together, touching and touched, kissing and kissed, wanting and wanted

And _yes. Yes_ , Dwalin thought. _Yes, Nori._


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ori works in Dori's coffee shop and goes to school. He admires one of the customers.

Dori would have liked to not just pay Ori’s fees. He would have liked to get him supplies like the other students used, and clothes like the other students wore. It had taken Ori years to convince his uncle that he liked what he had. He liked the old, battered writing case that had somehow made it out of Erebor. He liked the large, shapeless sweaters that Dori made with plenty of room to grow into.

He liked working in the shop. It tested his memory to make the drinks and put together the orders. It tested his memory to remember the families and jobs and lives of the regulars. It forced him to interact with people, which he found difficult and which was good for him if he wanted to work around people in the future.

Sometimes he wondered how his classmates would do when it came to actual work. They were from wealthy families with great advantages, but few of them had been in anything but a privileged position of power. Ori had to struggle to keep up - and the frenzy of the last month had just been an example of it. While many of his classmates had private tutors to help them prepare for the service exams, Ori had read and reread his books, cramming as much information as he could into his head.

It was the most important exam he had ever faced and would go a long way to deciding his future. If he did poorly, he would be reading and writing the letters of those who couldn’t read, taking care of the minor business of those he had grown up around. An average score might see some better business take him on to take care of accounts for a decent wage. With his background, he would probably need a phenomenal score to get anything better.

He tried not to hope. If he got a good enough score he might be taken in by one of the law practices - those high ranking and highly prestigious men and women who took care of the rights of all and the disputes between Dwarves. They were the most educated, the best read, and Ori desperately wanted to become one. The likelihood of getting a good enough score to be considered above his classmates - who came from families well placed enough that they would probably be known to at least one member of every law practice - was slim to none. He would be happy enough to get a job writing accounts for a business and never mention any higher dreams to Dori.

It was the day after the exam and Ori was back behind the counter at the shop. It was a relief - just cups and drinks and money changing hands. He didn’t have to remember all of the court laws and histories and it felt like he was breathing properly for the first time in days - possibly the first time in the last month. He smiled at the regulars, telling more than one that he was sure he’d done well. Of course he had, considering how well Dori had done by him!

And then they smiled and praised Dori, and he puffed with pride, and Ori was able to fill orders and go back to being just part of the life of the shop. He liked being back in the shop. He liked the hubbub of it, all the comings and goings. It had been well established when Dori started working there so long ago and they had helped build it up together. Even the guard would come in for a drink while they were on duty (off duty, most of them headed to a pub).

A trio came in just after the lunch rush as if they had been summoned by his thoughts. He called a greeting as they entered, then caught his breath. Two of them were unfamiliar and young, probably new recruits. The third…. Oh, the third…. Hair that gleamed gold, eyes the bluest Ori had ever seen, teeth that flashed white against the brown of his skin when he smiled.

And he was smiling now to see Ori. Oh, Ori wanted to do things to that mouth. He didn’t have experience, but Dori wasn’t as clever at hiding his romance stories as he thought he was. And Nori couldn’t find a good enough hiding space to keep things away from a curious child and the pictures he brought home gave Ori ideas.

“You’re back, Ori!” the blond cried happily, leaning against the counter. He laughed as Ori’s eyes widened. “The other one told me your name, right before he told me to keep my grubby guard’s hands off you.”

Ori stammered out apologies, because Nori should never have said something like that to a customer, especially a regular.

The other waved it off and leaned closer over the counter. “I was worried, you see,” he said, voice low and intimate. “You hadn’t been in for a long time, and I realized I don’t have any way to make sure you’re okay.”

Ori blushed but leaned on the counter as well, hands almost touching. Just a little more and he could have taken a kiss, but he didn’t know if that was what this was leading to. “I don’t even know your name,” he murmured. “How can I let you know what I’m up to?”

The other leaned closer, and Ori could feel his breath on his lips. “I’m Fílis,” he said, “and I’d very much like to get to know you more.”

Ori couldn’t stop himself from pressing forward that last bit to take that kiss, and Fílis was every bit as eager to return it.

Until the recruits and the few regulars who were still in the shop started cheering.

They were both flushed when they parted, though it was harder to de on Fílis’ darker skin. “I get off at dusk,” he whispered. “Can I come back to see you?”

Ori nodded, smiling and forgetting all about how worried he was about the exam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fíli is using a fake name so he isn't treated different from others.


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Words said in innocence and experience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: character death!

It was Nori who said it first - back when they were young and adventurous and got themselves into all kinds of mischief. They had heard too many tales of glory, the both of them, and had taken it into their heads that they would be heroes like in the old tales. Dwalin had his training swords and Nori had any knife he could find, and they went “exploring” all over.

Nori had stepped in one time Dwalin had gone off on his own. And in his boasting about “saving your life” from the toughs he had run into he had given the first indication that his exploring might be for reasons other than a wish for adventure.

It wasn’t long after that they started to learn the true price of adventures. First the dragon, and there was no way to fight back against it. Then the long years on the road, and the Orc Wars. Azanulbizar destroyed any last bits of childishness left, but at that point there was no choice but to travel and “explore” all over.

And now Dwalin looked up into eyes bright with tears, into a face that was layered in sweat, grime, and blood, and was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His breath labored as the blood that was his life drained from the arrow holes in his side. And the words that came to his lips were the ones last spoken in innocence.

“I will never apologize for saving your life, even if it costs me my own.”


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why Nori shouldn't jump off the cliff.

“Come on, give me one good reason not to jump in the lake.”

Dwalin slowed his pursuit of the thief as the smaller Dwarf stopped. He glanced over the edge of the cliff at the lake below, keeping himself bodily between the thief and freedom.

“From this height you’ll end up like a flake of mica no matter what you land on,” he said after a moment. "The way down isn’t clear, so you’ll probably hit jagged rock before you hit the water at all.“ He shivered as a breeze blew through. "And neither of those matter, as it’s not water down there. It’s ice.”

He hitched his axes into better position. "But you knew all of that, or you’d be over the edge already,“ he finished with an almost feral grin. "I have you this time, thief.”

The thief cast one more calculating glance down, then turned all of his attention on Dwalin. "You do,“ he breathed, stepping forward to press against him and looking up with breathless innocence in his eyes. "How did you want me, officer?”

Dwalin’s thoughts ground to a halt as he processed the implication. By the time he shook himself clear, the thief was gone.


	39. Pregnant Teenage Dwalin Part 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori remembers Dwalin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nwalin Week Day 1 - Silver and Gold

When it had been quiet in the bedroom Dori and Ori shared for almost half an hour, Nori lay down on the couch with his back to the door and slipped his hands into his pants. He shut his eyes and she was there just as he had seen her that night, fierce and beautiful. She was real in the darkness, the curves and planes of her something he could touch, but at the same time the rich brown of her skin melted into the shadows and she was everywhere. He bit his lip as he remembered her, how her eyes had flashed in a stray ray of light, her fingers in his hair, her taste on his tongue.

In his mind’s eye, she grew into the darkness until she was all of it, surrounding him and gloriously naked and welcoming. Her hair wasn’t bound in its tight braids - it streamed out around her like a sky, covering him. There was silver glimmering in it, like stars in a net, and gold was on her body, gleaming and making her richly welcoming as she moved toward him, naked but for that - gold discs pulling at her ears, gold chains around her throat, bands around her biceps.

He could almost feel the cold touch of rings as the dark goddess of his imagination reached out for him. And that was enough to send him into a gasping, shuddering climax. He cleaned up with a tissue, the space of his imagination empty now. And he could hear sirens in the distance and feel the springs under the couch cushions, even though they’d put cardboard down to try and keep it usable a bit longer. But for the once, he wasn’t likely to have any imaginings become reality, and he couldn’t give her the gold and silver anyway.

But as he fell asleep, there was a glimmer of silver in the corner of his imagining.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori and Dwalin are trapped together.

(Look! I’m writing!)

Nori was content to sit and sulk, and decide that he’d known better than to trust someone else and now he wouldn’t be able to put his new certainty into practice. There wasn’t a second way out of the cave - he’d checked it himself. And the rock they’d set up to seal it was too big to move on your own - even for two of them it had taken days and tools to set up.

It had been a trap for Dwalin of the guard - a plan to get rid of the fiercest warrior and to distract the rest of the guard for days. It should be a thief’s paradise outside for some time while they worked to find him and then scrambled to replace him.

Nori hadn’t expected to be trapped as well, but he felt that he should have known. Never team up. And someone with such a detailed plan had to be someone who would get rid of anyone else who knew of it. He should have known better than to agree to be the bait.

Dwalin was ignoring him, which he didn’t mind. He didn’t want to spend his last hours before they ran out of air fighting or being beaten up. And if Dwalin wanted to examine the walls and look for a way out that didn’t exist, let him. Nori paid him no mind until he was addressed.

“Pass me the sledgehammer.”

Nori blinked at him in confusion, then raised both brows incredulously. "You’ll never move that stone.“

"No,” Dwalin admitted with a shrug. "But some of the walls around it look like they’re ready to come down with the right blow.“ He held up a hand, showing his knuckledusters with their wedge shaped metal pieces. "And I’ve an easy way to direct force right where I want it.”

Nori caught his breath in hope.


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dori wants to know about Nori's first day of school.

Nori’s first day of school. Dori knew his little brother was as excited as he had been. He was glad that Nori had the afternoon kindergarten so their parents had decided he could walk home with Dori. It was a great responsibility. And it meant he got to hear all about Nori’s day first.

He went down to the kindergarten wing, a ten year old among parents, and Nori flew into his arms. They held hands as they walked home, Nori swinging their arms as high as he could reach and laughing as he skipped to try and go higher. Dori laughed as well, pulling all the way up and dangling Nori’s feet off the ground.

“How did you like it?” he asked.

“It was great!” Nori crowed in response. "We got to color and we played musical chairs and we got a snack and did show and tell and got to play on our own playground with no bigger kids to steal the swings!“ His smile slipped. "Not much bigger kids.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dwalin Durin. He’s the biggest kid in class. He said I couldn’t have a swing the whole time ‘cause other kids wanted them too.”

“He’s right, Nori,” Dori pointed out. "You have to share.“

"But I never get the swings at home! So I should get them more at school! I told him and he pushed me off the swing.”

“He did what!”

“So I kicked him in the face. And then he said he was gonna get me and he’d never let me get away with anything.”

Dori fumed. "He has a brother or a cousin in my class. I’ll talk to him and–“

"No, Dori!” Nori’s eyes were huge. "He’s my nemesis! You have to let me take care of him.“

"Nori, if he’s bullying you…”

Nori shook his head. "I need a nemesis if I want to be a super villain when I grow up. Every super villain has one.“

Dori wasn’t sure what to do with his little brother….


	42. Chapter 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori/Dwalin, fake relationship AU.

It was all Dori’s fault, and Nori didn’t think he could forgive his brother. It got him time nestled under Dwalin’s arm, time to bask in the warmth and strength of the body next to him. He laughed, and teased, and helped plan a wedding they would never go through with. Dwalin would tire of the ruse at some point and tell Dori it hadn’t been a proposal he’d walked in on.

Nori had laughed - had said “oh yes! Of course I’ll marry you!” - when Dwalin presented him with a ring. It was a gorgeous thing, dark gold with a sparkled of something twined through the metal (it couldn’t be Mithril - Dwalin wouldn’t give Mithril to him) and gems of green and purple in a starburst. Dwalin’s face had flamed - he hadn’t even thought of what it might look like to give his sex friend a ring! - and that, of course, was when Dori came in.

He hadn’t let them get a word in edgewise when he congratulated them. And when he started to bustle about in the planning instantly, Nori had shot a helpless look to Dwalin. Dwalin would be able to tell Dori he’d made the wrong conclusion. Nori could hardly deny what he’d said. He could explain that it had been a joke, but e couldn’t say that he didn’t want to marry Dwalin - Dori would pick up the lie in an instant. But Dwalin wouldn’t have the same problem.

But it had been weeks, and he hadn’t done it yet. Nori allowed himself to indulge in all of the cuddling he wanted while he waited for the other shoe to drop.

It wasn’t fair and it shouldn’t be happening. Dwalin couldn’t admit that he loved Nori - that he wanted something more than sex. Everyone knew that Nori only loved his brothers and wasn’t interested in romance. Dwalin didn’t even bring anything up for fear of losing what he had.

But he had seen the ring, and it was perfect. Nori’s words had been a joke - Daalin knew, and hadn’t expected anything else - but he couldn’t help the color that had risen in his face at hearing the words he wanted so much. And Dori had just appeared before he could recover.

He had expected Nori to laugh it off, but he had just gotten swept along with Dori. It was understandable, really. Dori was a force of nature, and everything followed in his wake. Dwalin as well, for weeks until sometimes he forgot that it was all fake. He got to give Nori soft kisses, rest their brows together, put an arm around him like it belonged there.

And it felt like Nori leaned into it. But that didn’t change the fact that it would have to end, and soon. Dori had finally settled on a date, and Ori had written all of the invitations to send out.

It was late and Dori was just letting them out of his planning meeting. He had order Nori to show Dwalin out, as if he didn’t know the way as well as they did. But it gave them a moment alone.

“You have to tell him.”

Nori looked up and shook his head. "It has to be you. You’re the line of Durin. He can’t force you to marry me if you say you don’t want to.“

"I can’t. I can’t tell him something that’s not true.”

Nori’s breath stopped. "What are you saying?“ he asked, voice careful.

Dwalin looked away. "I love you. You have to tell him it’s not real.”

Nori gasped a sob, making Dwalin look back at him. "I can’t. I love you… So it’s real.“

It was hardly a breath before they had merged, needy sounds coming from Nori’s throat as they clung to one another like they were drowning.

Dwalin’s large hand cradled the back of Nori’s head as they breathed shaky breaths of one another’s air. "Marry me,” he said, voice cracking. "Really marry me.“

"Yes,” Nori answered, fingers digging into Dwalin’s shoulders.

Dori smiled from the shadows of the doorway. He left them together and went to count the responses he’d received so far.


	43. Fuzzy Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kidnapping attempt gone horribly wrong.

I do love Fuzzy. And I almost feel bad for these kidnappers.

The job had gone wrong from the first. Men in a Dwarf city were always out of place, so they couldn’t go unnoticed. And the streets were like a warren of rabbits - it was hard to find the way through them to get anywhere. There seemed to be no street names, so finding the house they wanted took most of the day.

The door wasn’t locked when they got there, which meant someone was home. Hopefully it would be one of the children they were there to kidnap and not one of the adults. They snuck inside as quietly as possible, but there was a small - tiny! - dark haired boy looking at them curiously when they were inside. Inside and hunched over, because Dwarf homes apparently left no headroom for possible guests.

“Mama didn’t say there would be visitors,” he said curiously.

The leader of the pair didn’t even try to explain after everything, just went to grab the kid and go. But small as he was, the boy couldn’t be lifted. He looked very confused but neither rose an inch nor backed away an inch.

With a snarl, the leader took out his knife.

“Not bad make,” the boy said, eyeing it. "But it’s not very sharp. Uncle Thorin could fix it up in a jiff if he were home.“

"Come with us, brat.”

Understanding finally dawned in the boy’s eyes, and they waited for fear to follow. Instead, the boy just laughed, bright as morning. "You call that scary?“ he asked, then gave a piercing whistle.

They hadn’t been told about the Warg either, and barely made it out of the building.


	44. Chapter 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dealing is sore. Nori helps.

mean… I could give you a massage?”

Dwalin stopped rolling his shoulders and looked up at Nori. "If you’re trying to get my purse, thief….“

"You don’t work your team. It’s bad manners.” Nori looked offended that it had been suggested. "I have good hands.“ He held them up and twiddled his fingers.

Dwalin hesitated for a moment more, but finally nodded. Nori settled behind him, hands working the muscles of his neck and shoulders, tensed up from the battle with the Orcs. Dwalin groaned appreciation, his head dropping forward, and Nori continued down his back.

He really hadn’t expected more when he made the offer - Dwalin was super hot, but honest as the day was long - but it took barely a nudge to have him laid out on his stomach for a full body massage. And a massage very easily led into something more.

Nori considered walking off with Dwalin’s purse at the end, but he hadn’t been lying. You don’t work over your team.


	45. Chapter 45

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori intends to test Fili, who has been looking at Ori.

time was a trap. Nori had seen Fíli looking at his younger brother. And if there was one thing he and Dori agreed on, it was that no one was good enough for Ori.

So he’d come on to the prince, to see what kind of man he was - would he be one to treat Ori well if they were together (which, of course, they wouldn’t be). And also to see if he’d take that kind of bait. If he would cheat on someone as good as Ori (and if he ever hurt Ori, Nori was fully prepared to commit regicide).

The golden prince was younger than he was and swayed shyly into him when propositioned. Nori kissed him hungrily, aggressively. Fíli gripped him tightly, but opened under him so sweet and obedient. He looked up at Nori afterward, breath heaving, eyes filled with wonder, his lips curling into an amazed smiled.

“Nori,” he breathed. "I never thought… Never thought you’d want me….“

Nori raised a brow, used to not showing confusion. "Ori?”

“Too good for Kíli, but he seems to like him anyway.” Fíli was still looking at him with that smile, hands running up Nori’s arms to meet behind is neck.

The second kiss was better than the first. The third was better than that. Then Nori stopped counting.


	46. Pregnant Teenage Dwalin Part 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori is a sappy idiot.

It was nice to have Dwalin sleep over, even if it meant that Nori didn’t get the couch and had to sleep on the floor. It meant that she felt safe with them, safe when the progressing pregnancy made her parents less and less able to deal with her.

He sat with his back against the couch, listening to the sound of her even breathing. It was nice to be near her, to feel the bulge of her stomach - his child - against his shoulder. Nice, even knowing he’d have to pull her off the old, broken couch in the morning.

He turned and kissed the hollow of her hip, pressing his lips right under her extruding belly and then moving them gently up around her side. Before he could pull away, there were strong fingers threading through his hair. And a sleep roughened voice - the best voice ever - speaking with fondness. "You sappy idiot. Get some sleep.“


	47. Chapter 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori watches Dwalin at a party for nobility.

Nori sat with his back to the wall and sulked. He hadn’t been invited to the party - it was for nobility - but he had snuck in to watch Dwalin. He knew the highest placed members of exiled Erebor were under orders to woo natives of the Blue Mountains to try and get a firm toehold. Those who were married were, of course, exempt. But Nori didn’t count.

The beam that ran through the hall was indeed quite broad, and it was easy for Nori to hide on it and watch Dwalin dance and chat. He smiled at lovely and well dressed people. And Nori could see the way some of them flirted with him. Why wouldn’t they? He was strong and handsome and everything a Dwarf should be. Nori contemplated picking a few pockets, but that wouldn’t endear him to anyone.

Dwalin approached the buffet tables at the side of the room under Nori’s perch.

“Having fun?” Nori asked sharply, gratified when Dwalin startled. He looked up, saw Nori, and his face lit up. Nori had to continue before he melted. "Should I expect a wedding soon?“

"Do you really think that just because we were asked to create friendly relations–”

“It’s not like you to ignore orders.”

Dwalin smiled fondly at him. "Come down here,“ he said, motioning Nori down.

Still feeling contrary, Nori hung from his knees, crossing his arms and glaring at Dwalin upside down. The aboveground building was built low to save the cost of building materials and heating, and Dwalin was so tall that they were almost eye to eye. Dwalin stepped closer, stood on his toes, and kissed Nori lightly.

"You silly git,” he said fondly. "Come down here. Dori will want to be told all about the wines they’re serving.“


	48. Chapter 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori is ticklish.

Nori was a thief so good that just being his lookout was guaranteed to get you jobs. Nori was a thief so elusive that the guard had steadily growing bounties on his head and had had to pay them several times, because he never stayed in jail. Nori was a thief so beautiful that one of the ways he stayed out of jail was being distracting lay sexy.

Nori was a man with a mind like a steel trap, with reflexes like trip wires. Nori was a man of energy, climbing the walls just for something to do and hanging down from the ceiling holding onto finger and toeholds no one else could see. Nori was a man who didn’t trust easily, but once his trust was won it was absolute. Nori was a man who would cuddle shamelessly and tease while he did it.

Nori craved attention. He loved the way the guard hated him because it meant that they were thinking of him. He loved the way he was looked at when he was being sexy. He loved to hear people talk of him. He loved to be looked at and spoken of and touched. He loved touch - loved hands gently touching, loved kisses, loved sex in all its myriad ways.

Nori was ticklish.

Dwalin had discovered this by accident. Nori woke slowly when he felt safe, came up from sleep innocent and loving. And Dwalin liked to hold him then, to gently kiss his nose and his eyelids and his hair. To curl himself around Nori and hold him safe and warm. To run his hands tenderly over the body of his lover. The giggles were merely an added bonus.

Although they made Nori feel less safe and silly, so he sometimes woke with eyes already suspiciously narrowed. "I’ll knock you on your ass if you even think about it,“ he growled as if he could see into Dwalin’s mind.

Dwalin smiled serenely and kissed him. Nori sighed, melting into the kiss. He didn’t feel the fingers curling into his sides until it was too late.


	49. Chapter 49

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori and his brothers fight together in the Battle of Five Armies.

Nori fought back to back with his brothers, needing to know that they were alive. It was likely small of him, with the size of the battle and the number of members of all the free peoples fighting in it. There were three kings and numerous high placed lords fighting, and any of them were objectively more important than Nori and his brothers. But he couldn’t fight more fiercely than he did here for them.

He did more than his share, nudging Nori out of the way and taking attacks meant for him. He kept one eye on Dori, pulling him back to safety when he was in danger. It didn’t occur to him that he wasn’t the only one doing that until Dori tackled him to the ground and an arrow flew right above them, missing Dori by inches.

Frightened as he was, he managed to glare at Dori. "Protect yourself!“ he snapped. "You could have died!”

“I’d die for you,” Dori answered, pushing to his feet and pulling Nori up after him. "You and Ori both.“ They closed in around their youngest brother again, trying to push back against the waves of Orcs that didn’t seem to diminish. "I’d haunt you from the afterlife, of course,” Dori added in a precious moment of quiet, “but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

Nori snorted. "If something can kill you I’ve no chance against it,“ he said, sword swinging around over his head and slicing into at least two Orcs. "Best stay among the living, brother mine.”

Three backs pressing strong against each other, like a rock in the tide. And with that announcement of intent, Nori saw that both he and Ori were paying extra attention to Dori, making sure he was safe. Because they would all die for each other, but only Dori would do it cheerfully, and they had to make sure he never needed to.


	50. Chapter 50

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori hates the cold.

Nori like his comfort. When on the road, he spent as much time as possible sleeping and eating at inns. Much as it pained him, he didn't steal in winter. He found himself a home for the season or headed south where it was warm. When at all possible, he was in Ered Luin with his brothers.

Dwalin did what he needed to. Sometimes this meant traveling into the heat of the desert to keep a caravan safe. Sometimes it meant being a point guard and plowing through feet of snow to enable his group to get to safety. He slept on the ground and ate what he could forage and every penny he didn't have to spend got saved to give to Thorin and Dís.

The first time they had to do a patrol together in winter, Nori whined for hours. He was bundled in layers - one of Dori's big sweaters under his coat, a pair of Ori's fingerless mitts pulled over his gloves, distinctive hair hidden under a warm hat, a long scarf wrapped around his neck and face at least three times.

They didn't pause often - it was too cold to stop moving - but they had to catch their breath midday. Nori saw how Dwalin was amused at his discomfort, so he thought to get back at him by making his complaining pointed.

"I'm horny, and with all these layers I can't even kiss you," he grumbled, knowing how much Dwalin loved kisses.

Dwalin just laughed, breath puffing out in white clouds from behind his own scarf. He stepped close, leaning down. "This is how we kiss in the cold," he said, rubbing his cold, red nose against Nori's.

Starting down the trail again, Nori felt unaccountably warmer.


	51. Pregnant Teenage Dwalin Part 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin thinks of Nori.

Dwalin did her best not to listen. But she knew what people said about girls who got pregnant in high school, and it was hard not to judge herself. It was harder when her parents wouldn’t talk to her and everything out of Thorin’s mouth seemed to be a growl. She knew they loved her, but it was hard to feel it with their actions.

And she had known about it when she made the decision to keep the baby - it was a part of why she had approached Nori, knowing she would need someone purely on her side and so hopeful it could be him. But it was so different to live with the consequences. Different to live with her parents’ silence than to know they would be disappointed. Different to live with Thorin’s glares and overprotective growls than to know he would be angry.

But Nori was so much more than she’d hoped. He wasn’t perfect - no one was - but he stayed with her and listened to her. And he touched her like she was a blessing. Their fingers intertwined in the halls as he walked her to every class, and she didn’t mind the stares.


	52. Chapter 52

There was nothing better than sharing blankets with someone during a winter march and having sex with them to keep warm. Nori had done it any number of times over the years, but the prospect of wrapping himself in Dwalin made him hum with glee. Dwalin was finishing their shelter and Nori was finishing the sleeping area and waiting.

They had a nice thick mat of fallen leaves and their blankets were spread and waiting. Nori dug around in his pack as he saw the shelter flap twitch for Dwalin to enter. It took a bit of time, but he found the bottle he was looking for. He pulled it out as Dwalin shrugged out of layer after layer of warm clothes.

He shook the bottle, then frowned and shook it again. He looked down - not something he wanted to do when Dwalin was getting so comfortably close to naked in front of him - and pried the lid from the bottle.

"Is lube supposed to freeze?"


	53. Chapter 53

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boromir and Faramir run away from home.

Faramir stopped in the middle of the road, forcing Boromir to stop as well or leave him behind. His brother was all legs and arms, skinny and rangy as a colt. Now he shifted his weight between feet, looking at the road itself as though it were a threat.

"Are you sure?" he asked, voice still high and pure. "There's no going back if we do this."

Boromir took a step and wrapped an arm around his brothers thin shoulders. "A few more steps and we're in the Brown Lands. He'll never get hold of us there."

"But." Faramir bit his lip and leaned into his brother's touch. "But Gondor...."

"My first oath was given when I was five," Boromir said, giving Faramir a squeeze. "I swore to our mother that I would always protect you. Always, little brother. That includes protecting you from our father. If he abuses you while I'm away--"

"He didn't touch me!" Faramir protested.

"He didn't have to," Boromir answered softly. Arm still around Faramir's shoulders, he led the way north. There were ways to help Gondor that didn't involve active fighting. He knew he could find them.


	54. Chapter 54

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boromir and Faramir reach Erebor.

They moved slowly north. They would stay a few days at an isolated farm to help bring in the harvest, a week in a village to help with a construction job. They labored at digging ditches and weeding fields - anything so they could earn a little money or the day's meals. They never stayed long anywhere - the places they risked entering were small and secluded and not what either of them wanted for life. And Boromir wouldn't stay long anywhere that had his brother looking worriedly over his shoulder the way Faramir did when he thought his brother wasn't looking.

There were many nights they slept rough on the roads. They set their bedrolls close, and Boromir held his brother protectively through the night. He slept little those night - someone should keep watch against brigands, and he wouldn't have Faramir lose his sleep.

They spent almost a year wandering steadily north. Their clothes grew patched and threadbare from use and they replaced them with rough things that wouldn't stand out to those they encountered on the road. They still had some symbols of their birth, but those were well hidden in their packs. They passed a small city on a lake, half doubting their eyes, and saw a mountain looming to the north. They made their way toward it - mountains familiar for both good and ill from Gondor.

As they neared it, they saw a road and people moving in and out of the mountain. Boromir grabbed a traveler near them and pointed. "What's that all about?"

The man pulled roughly away. "Going into Erebor," he answered, accent of the north heavy in his voice. "Greatest Dwarf city there ever was."

"Dwarf city," Faramir repeated dreamily when they were alone again. "That would be something to see."

Boromir smiled and turned their course to lead them up the road into the mountain. He enjoyed his brother's excitement, the increasing shiver of anticipation making his step more like a skip. They followed the road, standing aside to let horses and carts pass them, until finally they reached the entrance to the mountain.

"Stop!"

They stilled, a Dwarf guard barring the way in front of them.

"What is your purpose here?"

Boromir paused, because 'my brother wanted to see a Dwarf city' didn't seem like an answer that would be good enough. "Looking for work," he said finally.

The Dwarf snorted. "Give me that sword," he barked, and Boromir reluctantly handed it over. "Where did you steal this?"

"It is mine!" Boromir protested.

"Come with me."

They followed, Faramir staying close by Boromir's side as they were led through winding passages deep into the mountain. Finally, the way opened up into a grand chamber. In the center was a throne on a dais, and on it sat a Dwarf of great majesty. His long beard was intricately braided, but his hair - more silver than black - was loose under a crown of two Ravens in flight.

"Caught these two entering the front gate with this," the guard said, handing over the sword. Boromir couldn't head what was said after, but the guard left and they were herded closer.

The king looked the sword over carefully, and Boromir thought he saw a hint of a smile on his lips. When he was finished, he laid the sword across his knees and addressed himself to the Men. "What is your name?"

"Boromir," he answered. There was a pause as the Dwarf waited for an extension on the name, but Boromir locked his lips and set his jaw against it. He would not claim any names but that.

And yet he almost wanted to. He had never seen so clearly the difference between one who demanded respect and one who didn't have to.

"And what is the Steward of Gondor doing here?" They gaped up at him. "This sword I made for Ecthelion when he was only a youth. If it is not with his get now, that is a theft indeed."

"It is mine," Boromir said again, fists balling at his side.

"So I repeat, why is the Steward of Gondor so far north?"

"Don't blame Boromir! It was my fault!"

"Fari, no."

The younger brother stepped forward. "I'm the one who is never good enough. Boromir is only taking care of me."

"Tell me, child," the Dwarf king said, voice warm, "how could you do nothing but ill?"

Faramir straightened slightly, and Boromir felt he might do anything for the man who did that for his brother. He stepped forward, settling a hand on Faramir's shoulder. "We are the sons of Finduilas, late wife of Denethor of Gondor," he said, because his father could choke on his own bile, but Boromir would not deny his mother. "Denethor was...." How to say everything he meant without bringing dishonor to the home he had been raised in. "...no fit guardian for my brother, so we left that place."

The king nodded, and Boromir thought he heard every word not spoken. "Dwalin," he called, causing a grey haired warrior to step forward. "Find them a room." He passed Boromir's sword to the other Dwarf, and nodded the Men away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare to be adopted by Dwarf royalty, boys!


	55. Always

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based around [this song](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YWIDG_t7t98), by October Project.

They curled together in the darkness, lost in their own thoughts. They were silent, touching to hold each other, but careful - always so careful! - not to be a cage.

We’ve done this for so long, Dwalin thought, relishing the weight of Nori against his side. They had known each other and been occasional lovers for years. They knew each other so well, but did it mean the same thing to Nori? Could it? All Dwalin wanted was a simple promise, if saying it would be too much, would change too much.

Nori felt the moment that Dwalin started to rise. Dwalin never stayed. He might leave silently or with a joke, but never a touch or a last look. Nori couldn’t blame him - after all, why would someone like Dwalin want to tie himself to someone like Nori? But he couldn’t stop from wishing for things he knew he didn’t have a right to.

Nori caught Dwalin’s wrist as he stood. Dwalin startled and looked back to see a vulnerable expression on a face that was normally self contained.

“A kiss?” Nori asked, voice trembling.

And that was something he shouldn’t do - couldn’t hide while doing. But he couldn’t deny Nori anything, so he leaned down and pressed his lips to Nori’s. Nori opened under him, arms sliding up to wrap around his shoulders. Dwalin felt like he was falling, like he was drowning. Like he was cocooned in stone, like Nori was the only source of the air he needed to breathe.

“Stay,” Nori whispered, eyes still closed. “Be here in the morning.”

Dwalin sat and crushed Nori to him. “Always,” he breathed.


	56. Last Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boromir/Théodred

“You’re a long way from Orcs, aren’t you?”

Boromir smiled as he brought his horse close to the Rohirrim and clasped arms with Théodred. “Someone has to make sure you know what you’re doing.” Théodred laughed, as he always did, and Boromir fell into the ranks and rode the day away.

He supped with the Riders and shares battle stories and laughter around their fire. When Théodred called for him, he said his goodnights, listening with amusement to the speculation behind him.

He dropped into a seat in Théodred’s tent, and it felt like years had dropped off him as well. They could almost be youths again, playing at armies and great deeds while still standing in the shadows of great fathers. But riding the day away ached as it hadn’t then and Boromir couldn’t forget his mission.

“I’m headed west and north,” he said, forestalling questions he couldn’t answer. “And if you could direct me to a safe pass through the Misty Mountains, I’d be grateful.”

Théodred’s brows lifted, it he didn’t question further. They had known each other almost since they were babes in arms and he recognized when he would get no more information. “I’ll do better,” he said instead. “We’ll take you there.”

Boromir smiled and went willingly when invited to Théodred’s bed.

It took several days to cross Rohan, but Boromir didn’t grudge it. He didn’t know what waited at the end of his journey, and time spent with an old friend was never wasted. He rode with Théodred during the day, laughing like the children they had once been. At night they shared comfort as two men of power with many comrades and few true friends. Reaching the mountains was almost a shame, though neither considered delay.

“I will look for your return,” Théodred said when they reached the point where he had to turn and rejoin his men.

“I will tell you all I can then,” Boromir answered. He pressed a kiss to his friend’s lips and spurred ahead toward Eriador.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....And then they died within a day of each other.....


	57. Chapter 57

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin meets someone in Rivendell.

The safety of Elrond’s realm was one of the constants of the world. The sun rose in the east, the seasons turned, and Rivendell was a safe haven. As such, Thorin felt comfortable walking its grounds at night without weapons or armor. The chance might never come again, so he breathed softly and appreciated it.

He came into a moonviewing glade with a pond and benches and thought to lose himself in its stillness. He was lowering himself onto a bench before he noticed another, hunched in a long cloak even though the June night held no chill and not feeling the peace of the glade.

“Forgive me,” he said, rising. “I did not realize...”

“Do not apologize,” the other said, voice rough as Thorin had heard from survivors of the dragon or Azanulbizar. “There is little peace for me anyway.”

That made Thorin pause. “Do not your people have a place to go when there is no rest in this world?”

“For me?” the other asked, throwing back his hood. And there indeed was one who had seen battle. One eye was missing, and much of the Elf’s visible face and threat were marred by burns and scarred over gouges.

Thorin sank back onto the bench. “What battles have you seen, honorable father?” he asked in awe.

The Elf relaxed at his lack of horror and his lips twitched in the hint of a smile. “I slew a balrog once.”

Thorin’s mouth dropped open. “Golden-haired Glorfindel,” he breathed. “Why are you said to have died?”

The Elf gestured at himself, revealing a missing finger and more scarring. “Younger Elves cannot stand to look on me. In these times of peace I am an unwanted reminder of another time.”

“Among Dwarves you would be revered, your scars the outward signs of your courage.” Thorin was silent a moment then moved closer. “Balrog-Slayer, I go to wrest my home from a dragon. There are those who think me mad and the task too dangerous. The dragon has not been seen for years and they ask why we should wake it. What think you? Tell me and I will follow your counsel.”

There was no hesitation. “Evil must always been opposed. Humans may not live long enough to see the dragon come back. It may even be longer than the lives of Dwarves. But it is there and will wake again. Killing it is the only way to stop its destruction.”

“May it be done,” Thorin said, feeling the peace of purpose wrap around him. He stood, ready to rejoin his company. Before leaving, he took Glorfindel’s ruined face in his hands and touched their foreheads together. “When Erebor's is habitable once more, there will be a place for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been pointed out to me that Glorfindel is described as beautiful in Fellowship when he shows up and brings Frodo to Rivendell (this part has been given to Arden in the movie). However, the Silmarillion is very clear on the fact that he died, so I choose to believe that it was another Glorfindel in Fellowship.


End file.
